Agenda and minutes

Please note that, in accordance with the Members' Code of Conduct, when declaring interests members must disclose the existence and nature of the interest, and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) or personal and/or pecuniary.

No declarations of interest were received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 1 March 2022 be confirmed and signed by the Mayor as a correct record.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 25 March 2022 be confirmed and signed by the Mayor as a correct record.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 May 2022 be confirmed and signed by the Mayor as a correct record.

The Mayor referred to her engagements since the last meeting of the Council, some of which had included:

·        planting an oak tree for the Royal British Legion Women’s Section, Lincolnshire County;

·        Lincoln’s Age UK’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Queen;

·        lighting Beacons in Lincoln to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at Lincoln Castle and Boultham Park, alongside the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Mr Toby Dennis; and

·        the birthday celebrations of a resident who was celebrating their 105^th birthday.

The Mayor advised that her chosen charity for the year was to help the Urology Department at Lincoln County Hospital.

No questions had been submitted by members of the public.

Question

Now that the term of the loan to fund repairs to the Yarborough swimming pool ceiling and the total compensation paid to Active Nation for the period January 2022 to March 2022 was known, could the portfolio holder advise on the forecast for further compensation payments until the reopening of the swimming pool?

Reply

In terms of the prudential borrowing that would be undertaken to fund the cost of the repairs works, this would be through the Public Works Loan Board.  Based on a borrowing of £615,000, over a twenty year period, the annual costs were estimated to be circa £49,000 per annum.  The final costs would not be known until the actual borrowing was undertaken and would be based on the prevailing borrowing rate at that time.  The rate of interest would be fixed and would not vary over the twenty year period.

In terms of compensation to Active Nation, this would need to be set in the context that the contract the Council had with Active Nation for both Yarborough and Birchwood was a nil value contract.  Historically, due to the subsidy required to be provided for leisure services the management fee payable to Active Nation was circa £450,000 per annum.  Through both the Council’s investment in Birchwood of £1.546 million and the Council’s negotiation with Active Nation, the Council had managed to reduce this on a sliding scale over a three year period, so that the Council could now effectively operate the contract as a concessionary contract and did not pay a fee.  Whilst the Council would be liable for compensation until the pool reopened, it was currently discussing the level of this compensation with Active Nation, with a view of limiting losses as far as possible.  These discussions were dependent on the final programme of works and timescales, which was yet to be finalised with the contractor.

This also needed to be set in the context of what was an extremely challenging environment for leisure services across the country, with many leisure providers, including swimming pools, no longer remaining financially viable and ceasing operations.  The Council was committed to working with Active Nation to re-open the only publicly available, indoor pool, in the City.

Supplementary

Would it be sensible to have a ring-fenced budget for future maintenance or unexpected cost associated with the pool, rather than relying on borrowing?

Reply

Ideally the Council would have funding available to place in a ringfenced budget for such circumstances.  However, the Council had been subject to extensive budget reductions by Government and therefore it was not possible to assign a proportion of its budget for this purpose.

Question

Could a summary of how the Council’s plans for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) would benefit the Lincoln economy be provided?

Reply

The Council was seeking to maximise the value and benefit of the UKSPF  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

Councillor Donald Nannestad, Portfolio Holder for Quality Housing, presented his report to the Council, which was set out on pages 29 – 34 of the agenda.  It was noted that the report covered a wide range of areas which reflected the Council’s commitment to quality housing.

Councillor Nannestad wished his thanks be recorded to all staff for their hard work during the pandemic, along with the challenges experienced in the supply of materials and a shortage in the labour market. Councillor Nannestad was pleased to highlight excellent areas of performance, such as rent collection and the completion of De Wint Court extra care housing, which was a flagship development for the Council.  Tracey Footsoy, Housing Strategy Officer, was congratulated for her work on the De Wint Court extra care housing development.

The Council was provided with an opportunity to make comments and ask questions, where the following points were confirmed:

·        The total council housing stock was discussed and it was confirmed that the Council had circa 7,800 properties.  Comparisons were made to the number of properties in 1982 and 1991.

·        Specific concerns were raised regarding antisocial behaviour towards elderly residents in a particular ward and whether the tenancy agreement had sufficient powers to deal with the issue. It was explained that gathering evidence was key to ensure a positive outcome in court.

·        Daryl Wright, Maintenance Team Leader, had been commended by two constituents, for his work to address issues they had raised.

·        The De Wint Court extra care housing development was cited as an excellent project, which had involved ward councillors throughout its whole development. 

·        It was pleasing to see an additional 42 new homes in Moorland.

·        The work of the housing team to reduce its carbon footprint was also commended.

·        Councillor Nannestad was pleased to confirm that the new builds at Rookery Lane were progressing well and that there had recently been a naming ceremony for the development.  It was confirmed that there would be two four-bedroom properties; ten three-bedroom properties; 23 two-bedroom properties; four bungalows; and a small number of flats.

·        Although there was a direct link between housing conditions and health, household income and levels of air pollution were also key factors which affected the health of the population.  Suicide rates in Lincoln were also discussed and key partners were currently trying to find an explanation, and this work was ongoing.

·        It was confirmed that right to buy receipts had been spent on time and the Council would continue to do so.

·        The Personal Assistant to the Director of Housing and Investment was congratulated for her hard work supporting councillors with housing matters.

·        It was confirmed that a decarbonisation policy had been approved at a recent meeting of the Executive.  In response to a question, it was advised that it was not always possible to use solar panels, particularly on flats as any privately owned occupants would also have to give consent to them being erected. Therefore, the Council was focusing on improving insulation in homes. 

RESOLVED  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15a

It was moved by Councillor Ric Metcalfe and seconded by Councillor Donald Nannestad that the schedule of appointments to Outside Bodies 2022/23, as detailed at Appendix A to the report, be approved.

Councillor Hilton Spratt highlighted that the opposition group had not been appointed to any of the outside bodies to which the Council made appointments, whereas other councils offered some of these appointments to opposition groups.  In response, Councillor Ric Metcalfe reminded Council that it was within the gift of the majority group as to who was nominated and that it would be difficult for any opposition councillor to represent the view of the majority group at such meetings.

RESOLVED

That the schedule of appointments to Outside Bodies 2022/23, as detailed within Appendix A to the report, be approved.