Agenda item

Councillor Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, presented his report to the Council, which had been set out on pages 19 – 25 of the agenda.  Councillor Murray highlighted two schemes; firstly, the central market and city square transformation, with work expected to begin on site in January 2022; and secondly, the High Street historic action zone, which included St Mary’s Guildhall and the Barbican / Albion Hotel.

Councillor Murray added that he had restarted visits to various organisations, which had included a visit to James Dawson UK, into which its parent company, Michelin, had recently invested £6 million, which represented great news.  Councillor Murray had also visited Tom Blount, Executive Director of the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park, which had developed as the centre of Lincoln’s hi-tech industry, on a site associated with Lincoln’s engineering history.  Finally, Councillor Murray referred to his visit to Bifrangi UK Lincoln, located on Spa Road, and highlighted the 32,000-tonne percussion screw press, which provided high specification metal forging.  

Councillor Murray also reported that the Local Plan was currently subject to its consultation, with the next version of the plan due to be submitted to the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee in February 2022.  The county council had not supported some of the ambitious proposals to address climate change in the plan and had remained committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050.  This contrasted with the City of Lincoln Council’s ambition for carbon neutrality by 2030. 

Councillor Murray also referred to the preparations for the Lincoln Christmas Market, which were set out on page 24 of his report. 

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

·         Wage levels in the Social Care Sector – Wage levels were a key factor in recruiting and retaining adult social care staff, whether these levels were just above the level of the national minimum wage or set at around £12.50 per hour, this issue had not been completely addressed by the government’s proposals.

·         Labour Market – it was commented by a councillor that nationally recent reports had indicated that the long-term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the end of the job retention scheme had not led to a spike in unemployment and that many businesses were now struggling to recruit and retain staff.

·         The Drill (formerly the Drill Hall) – a councillor was pleased to highlight that The Drill had recently opened, which was operated by Lincoln College.

·         Fibre Broadband – it was highlighted that it had recently been reported that Lincoln was set to receive a full fibre boost as CityFibre had announced an investment of £21 million in a new city-wide network, which was welcome news for those areas of the City with less than adequate coverage. 

·         Lincoln Central Market – Compensation to Existing Stallholders – Existing stallholders had been offered both a reasonable level of compensation and advice on seeking alternative interim or long-term locations for their businesses.  There was a proposal under consideration to charge stallholders in the refurbished market according to their turnover to provide a genuine mix of stalls. 

·         Lincoln Central Market - Overall Scheme - The plans for the Central Market demonstrated what the Council could achieve with a moderate level of government funding provided and this funding could not have been provided from the Council’s own resources, given the constraints on its budget over the previous ten years.  The plans included the transformation of City Square, and opening up the bricked up windows. 

·         Lincoln Central Market - Location of Market Stalls – Proposals were being explored for market stalls to be offered outside the Central Market, and interest in this would be generated by a successful Central Market.

·         Lincoln Central Market - Unisex Public Toilets – It would be confirmed whether the plans for unisex toilets had been included in the consultation. 

·         Controlled Parking Zone – Vernon Street, Mill Lane, Princess Street and Foster Street – Implementation of the controlled parking zone by the county council had been delayed, although the residents had been balloted and were in support of its introduction.  Implementation of the controlled parking zone was expected by Easter 2022 by the county council. 

·         Guildhall Winners – The Council commended the work of the Civic Team, with particular mention being given to the Mayor’s Officer, for being recognised by Visit England as an organisation whose staff go the extra mile to welcome visitors.

·         St Mary’s Guildhall – Works would begin in December 2021.

·         Parking Income Data – It was not possible to provide a reason for the increased rates of parking in September and October 2021, compared to the budget projections.  It was requested that car parking data in future also included percentages to enable the reader to understand capacity.

·         Lincoln Christmas Market 2021 – Expectations for a successful in?person Christmas Market for 2021 were reiterated, which would include a substantial improvement on the online Christmas Market which had taken place in 2020.  The importance of people wearing face coverings and taking a lateral flow in advance of attending the Christmas Market were stressed, as infection control measures.  It was confirmed that an analysis of the direct economic benefits of the Lincoln Christmas Market for Lincoln could be carried out.  It was advised that the Council was not currently considering introducing a sponsor for the market. 

·         Anti-Social Behaviour on Lincoln High Street – A councillor raised concerns about anti-social behaviour on Lincoln High Street near the Guildhall and Stonebow, which was negatively affecting local businesses and visitors. Many of the people displaying anti-social behaviour on the High Street suffered from mental health issues, but primarily this was a matter for the Police and Councillor Murray undertook to raise the matter with the Police.

·         Carbon Neutrality by 2030 – This remained the hope of the City of Lincoln Council and all councillors were asked to support this ambition.

·         Levelling Up Fund Initiatives for Park Ward - It was not possible to explain the lack of support from the MP for Lincoln for the Levelling Up initiatives in Park Ward, including a railway bridge, which would connect the north end of Park Ward with the city centre.

·         Council Car Parks – An explanation of the pricing policy for the Council’s car parks included reference to the costs of the Council’s car parks being significantly lower than the Council’s main competitor.  It was also highlighted that Lincoln Central Car Park had recently won an award.  It was also recognised that income from parking services was essential contributor to the Council’s budget. 

The report was noted.