Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Hilton Spratt.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 24 January 2023 be confirmed and signed by the Chair as an accurate record.

No declarations of interest were received.

Councillor Calum Watt, Chair of the Community Leadership Scrutiny Committee, opened the meeting with a brief introduction to guest speakers and the topic of discussion which was Assets of Community Value.

The Committee received a presentation from Councillor Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Marianne Langley (Keep the Tap Running), Aaron Joyce (Chair, Campaign for Real Ale) and Steve Renshaw (Secretary, Campaign for Real Ale). During consideration of the presentation, the following points were noted: -

• Under the Localism Act 2011 (Part 5 Chapter 3) & detailed in Assets of Community Value Regulations 2012, nominated groups were given the right to bid for a listed property if entered onto the property sale market. However, there was no obligation to sell, cooperate or accept a community offer
• There was a large disparity between commercial and residential property, magnified by Lincoln’s large student population and the Assets of Community Value (ACV) regime was the only method for communities to demonstrate the value of an asset
• It was important that ACV had meaning in practice and was for the local authority to determine whether an ACV was a material matter during a planning application
• Nomination for an ACV came from suitable nominating bodies such as Parish Councils or groups with a community (geographical/shared interest) connection
• The process typically took up to eight weeks to approve or reject a nomination and if approved, the nominated property would be added to the list of assets for five years or unless sold. The owner retained the right to appeal
• The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was the dominant legislation and Section 8 made provision relevant to ACV. The NPPF made clear provision for the inclusion of public houses
• Lincoln’s current pub protection policy fell within LP15 of the Local Plan which laid out three conditions that determined whether the loss of a community facility might be permitted
• Not all public houses could or should be retained and it was important to carefully consider genuine viability
• Mendip Council’s Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 2017 was considered a ‘Gold Standard Policy’ and contained seven key criteria required to be met for an owner to change a public house into residential dwelling/s
• Planning Committee considered applications carefully and if appropriate, would query officers. The addition of a planning policy document would grant officers and Member of the Committee additional powers
• Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) identified that ACV’s could be useful in the plight to save public houses
• There was a considerable number of public houses that were now nominated assets and sold on to the local community and ran successfully
• It was important to note that ACV’s did not cover public houses exclusively but protected a number of community assets that would otherwise be lost if planning policies did not provide adequate protection

The Chair thanked guest speakers for their work, informative presentation and welcomed comments and questions from the Committee. As a result of the discussions between Members and speakers, the following points were made: -

Question: How  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

Consideration was given to the Committee’s Work Programme. Further to scoping discussions, the Democratic Services Officer confirmed that the focus of the Committee’s work for the remainder of the calendar year would include an update on the Cultural Consortium, Low Wages in the City of Lincoln, an update on the Poverty Truth Commission and Long Term and Emergency Housing.

It was agreed that the Cultural Consortium update would be brought before the Committee in June 2023. The Democratic Services Officer confirmed that attendance had been received from Sukhy Johal, University of Lincoln and Toby Ealden, Zest Theatre.

It was agreed that consideration of Low Wages in the City of Lincoln would be brought before the Committee in June 2023. The Democratic Services Officer confirmed that attendance had been received from Rob Johnston, Trades Union Congress. Further attendance from Resolution Foundation and Federation of Small Businesses had been requested. It was agreed that an invitation for attendance would be offered to Lincoln Business Improvement Group (Lincoln BIG) and the Chamber of Commerce.

Date of Next Meeting: Tuesday 27 June 2023.