Agenda item

It was moved, seconded and

 

RESOLVED that Council Procedure Rule 17.4 regarding the content and length of speeches be suspended to allow the Leader of the Council and the Opposition Group Leaders unlimited time to speak on Minute 58a.

 

Councillor Naomi Tweddle, Leader of the Council, presented the report and proposed the recommendations as detailed on pages 17 and 200 of the agenda pack, in relation to the Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025-2030.  Councillor Donald Nannestad seconded the recommendations and reserved his right to speak.

 

The Mayor, having received notice a number of amendments, permitted that more than one amendment may be discussed and debated at once to facilitate the proper and efficient conduct of the Council’s business in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 17.6(b). The Mayor reported, however, that each amendment would be voted upon separately.

 

Councillor Clare Smalley, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Group and Leader of the Opposition, proposed the following amendments to the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, which were seconded by Councillor Martin Christopher, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, who reserved his right to speak:

 

 

One off allocation from the Vision 2030 earmarked reserve to fund the following proposals on a trial basis to assess the impact:

 

• £50k into fly tipping enforcement (to issue more fines and take on the perpetrators). (Amendment 1)
• £40k on CCTV (additional cameras to tackle hotspots where fly tipping, ASB and graffiti are worst). (Amendment 2)
• £10k on community skips (so everyone can dispose of bulky goods for free multiple times a year). (Amendment 3)
• £15k Christmas Market restoration fund (to develop a full proposal to bring back the Christmas Market). (Amendment 4)
• £33k Ward funding (£1000 per councillor) for improvements. (Amendment 5)

 

It was noted that the figures contained in the above amendments had been verified by Financial Services and were in accordance with the budget estimates included in the proposed MTFS 2025-2030.

 

During the discussion on the proposed amendments, the following points were

noted:

 

·       A councillor stated that he was happy to support the proposed amendments and highlighted that the City of Lincoln had received one of the lowest financial settlements across the country.  It was also commented that the street cleaning department had a budget underspend of circa £50k and therefore this could be used to help fund the proposed amendments.  It was highlighted that there were a significant number of councils which had a councillor fund in place to enable ward councillors to fund small projects within their ward.  He therefore strongly supported the proposed introduction of a councillor fund.

·       Several councillors indicated they would be voting against the proposed amendments. 

·       It was highlighted that ward budgets had previously been allocated at the Council but these had ceased for a variety of reasons. A councillor commented that he had raised funds within his own ward without the need of a ward budget and encouraged councillors to raise funds for their areas.

·       As part of Vision 2030, officers would be resourced to educate on fly tipping.  Councillors were also encouraged to manage litter picking events within their areas. 

·       Community skips had previously been provided within the city.  However, these were removed for good reasons, as they were not being used appropriately and the sites becoming a dumping ground for rubbish.  It was highlighted that the Council offered a bulky items waste service for a reasonable fee.  It was further noted that anyone from a low-income family or the elderly could use this service free of charge. 

·       It was highlighted that the Park Ward By-Election, which had been called by members of the Liberal Democrats Group, would cost the Council circa £20k, as it was a standalone election, rather than being combined with the scheduled polls in May which would have halved the cost.  It was commented that the £20k could have been used to help fund some of the Group’s proposed amendments. 

·       A councillor urged Council to vote against the proposed amendments.  The Christmas Market had been discussed by Council, and it was disappointing to see a further amendment come forward from the Group.  It was also commented that a significant number of residents were not supportive of a return of the Christmas Market and was pleased with the new events programme.

 

Councillor Martin Christopher, who had reserved his right to speak, expressed his disappointment in councillors being encouraged to litter pick, as fly-tipping could not be rectified by litter picking, owing to the volume of waste.  It was also highlighted that he regularly litter picked within his area, and he estimated that he had collected between 3-4k bags of rubbish.  It was commented that the proposed councillor fund would help support small projects within each ward.   Councillor Christopher strongly encouraged Council to support the proposed amendments.

 

Councillor Naomi Tweddle, who moved the original motion took her right of reply and encouraged Council to vote against the proposed amendments.  It was commented that for a Council with a multi-million budget, it would be taken as a compliment that only very minor amendments to the budget could be proposed by the opposition group.  However, for the reasons already outlined by various councillors, those amendments should not be supported and reiterated the reasons why.  It was further commented that the city had excellent CCTV coverage, and that Vision 2030 looked to educate residents on fly-tipping. 

 

Having been proposed and seconded, the amendments were voted upon individually.  In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.7, a recorded vote was taken for each amendment, the result of which were as follows:

 

 

For (9)	Against (19)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor A Briggs	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor J Brown	Councillor B Bean
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor C Burke
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor B Bushell
Councillor T Dyer	Councillor L Bushell
Councillor B Mara	Councillor A Currier
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor L Danese
Councillor H Spratt	Councillor G Hewson
Councillor R Storer	Councillor R Longbottom
	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 1 was therefore declared lost.

 

For (9)	Against (19)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor A Briggs	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor J Brown	Councillor B Bean
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor C Burke
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor B Bushell
Councillor T Dyer	Councillor L Bushell
Councillor B Mara	Councillor A Currier
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor L Danese
Councillor H Spratt	Councillor G Hewson
Councillor R Storer	Councillor R Longbottom
	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 2 was therefore declared lost.

 

 

For (4)	Against (24)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor J Brown	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor B Bean
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor A Briggs
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor C Burke
	Councillor B Bushell
	Councillor L Bushell
	Councillor A Currier
	Councillor L Danese
	Councillor T Dyer
	Councillor G Hewson
	Councillor R Longbottom
	Councillor B Mara
	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor H Spratt
	Councillor R Storer
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 3 was therefore declared lost.

 

 

For (9)	Against (19)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor A Briggs	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor J Brown	Councillor B Bean
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor C Burke
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor B Bushell
Councillor T Dyer	Councillor L Bushell
Councillor B Mara	Councillor A Currier
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor L Danese
Councillor H Spratt	Councillor G Hewson
Councillor R Storer	Councillor R Longbottom
	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 4 was therefore declared lost.

 

 

For (4)	Against (24)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor J Brown	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor B Bean
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor A Briggs
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor C Burke
	Councillor B Bushell
	Councillor L Bushell
	Councillor A Currier
	Councillor L Danese
	Councillor T Dyer
	Councillor G Hewson
	Councillor R Longbottom
	Councillor B Mara
	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor H Spratt
	Councillor R Storer
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 5 was therefore declared lost.

 

NOTE: At this point in proceedings, Councillor B Bean left for the remainder of the meeting.

 

Councillor Tom Dyer, Leader of the Conservative Group, proposed the following four amendments to the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, which were seconded by Councillor Martin Rachel Storer, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group, who reserved her right to speak:

 

1.

 

To support the High Street, the proposed 12.6% increase in the two-hour parking charge at Lincoln Central Car Park would be scrapped, keeping the rate frozen at £3.33.

 

2.

 

Some areas of Park Ward experienced frequent flooding during storms. The City of Lincoln Council would allocate £218,000 per year to Property Flood Resilience measures, helping vulnerable residents protect their homes.

 

The £218,000 would be funded by reducing a City Council budget within the DCE to £0. The current staff will be redeployed into other service areas, where there are vacancies. Alternatively, any redundancy costs would be funded from earmarked reserves.

 

3.

 

To support young people in the south of Lincoln, £100,000 from the Vision 2025/2030 reserve would be allocated to improving children's facilities.

 

4.

To honour and support our Armed Forces, £15,000 from the events budget would be allocated to Armed Forces Day events. This would include funding for officer time dedicated to event planning and preparation.

 

Proposal 1 – the financial implications of freezing the two-hour parking tariff at Lincoln Central Car Park would be £78,850pa, assuming the proposal was for a one-year freeze only. Being recurrent in nature this could not be funded from reserves so an alternative budget reduction elsewhere in the MTFS would need to be identified.

 

Proposal 2 – the proposed figures had been verified by Financial Services and were in accordance with the proposed MTFS 2025-2030, however there were potentially additional redundancy costs associated with this option.

 

Proposal 3 – the proposed figures had been verified by Financial Services and were in accordance with the budget estimates included in the proposed MTFS 2025-2030, however there may be an additional ongoing revenue requirement for repairs and maintenance for any new children’s facilities. Unless additional revenue budgets were identified, this would place pressure on existing repairs and maintenance budgets.

 

Proposal 4 - the proposed figures had been verified by Financial Services and were in accordance with the budget estimates included in the proposed MTFS 2025-2030.

 

During the discussion on the proposed amendments, the following points were

noted:

 

·       Several councillors spoke in favour of the proposed amendment regarding the introduction of an Armed Forces Day and encouraged Council to vote in favour of this amendment.  It was highlighted that discussions were already taking place with the organisers of the Cleethorpes Armed Forces weekend to gain knowledge and understanding on how this event was funded.  The proposed funding was to aid the development of an event. Whilst several councillors supported the proposal of an Armed Forces Day in Lincoln, the amendment was considered premature and as the Council would want to support such event, it had to be arranged appropriately and not rushed. 

·       A councillor spoke against the amendment with regard to car parking, as the City of Lincoln Council’s car parking charges were considerably cheaper than other alternative parking providers in the city.

 

Councillor Rachel Storer, who had reserved her right to speak, encouraged Council to vote in favour of the proposed amendments.

 

Councillor Naomi Tweddle, who had moved the original motion, took her right of reply and encouraged Council to vote against the proposed amendments.  It was reiterated that the Council’s car parking charges were lower than other providers within the city and all car parks were well used.  It was highlighted that Lincolnshire County Council was responsible for flood mitigation and the Environment Agency and therefore any investment should come from both of these organisations, not a district council.  With regards to the amendment on investment for park equipment in Witham Ward, it was highlighted that the play strategy should be looked at in its entirety across the city, not just in an individual ward.  It was also reiterated that an Armed Forces Day for Lincoln would be explored for future years, but this would require partnership working and investment, and both would be explored. 

 

Having been proposed and seconded, the amendments were voted upon individually.  In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.7, a recorded vote was taken for each amendment, the result of which were as follows:

 

 

For (9)	Against (18)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor A Briggs	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor J Brown	Councillor C Burke
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor B Bushell
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor L Bushell
Councillor T Dyer	Councillor A Currier
Councillor B Mara	Councillor L Danese
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor G Hewson
Councillor H Spratt	Councillor R Longbottom
Councillor R Storer	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 1 was therefore declared lost.

 

 

For (9)	Against (18)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor A Briggs	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor J Brown	Councillor C Burke
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor B Bushell
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor L Bushell
Councillor T Dyer	Councillor A Currier
Councillor B Mara	Councillor L Danese
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor G Hewson
Councillor H Spratt	Councillor R Longbottom
Councillor R Storer	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 2 was therefore declared lost.

 

 

For (9)	Against (18)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor A Briggs	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor J Brown	Councillor C Burke
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor B Bushell
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor L Bushell
Councillor T Dyer	Councillor A Currier
Councillor B Mara	Councillor L Danese
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor G Hewson
Councillor H Spratt	Councillor R Longbottom
Councillor R Storer	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 3 was therefore declared lost.

 

 

For (9)	Against (18)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor A Briggs	Councillor D Armiger
Councillor J Brown	Councillor C Burke
Councillor N Chapman	Councillor B Bushell
Councillor M Christopher	Councillor L Bushell
Councillor T Dyer	Councillor A Currier
Councillor B Mara	Councillor L Danese
Councillor C Smalley	Councillor G Hewson
Councillor H Spratt	Councillor R Longbottom
Councillor R Storer	Councillor A McNulty
	Councillor D Nannestad
	Councillor L Preston
	Councillor A Pritchard
	Councillor C Roper
	Councillor D Stothard
	Councillor N Tweddle
	Councillor C Watt
	Councillor J Wells
	Councillor L Woolley

 

Amendment 4 was therefore declared lost.

 

Council returned to the original motion.

 

During discussion of the original motion, the following points were noted:

 

·       A councillor advised that he could not support the budget as presented, as it was very city-centre focused, and the outer city was neglected and not accounted for.  It was also commented that with regard to housing investment, the Council should be taking care of its existing stock, rather than building new properties.

·       It was commented that the national changes in bus fayres would be detrimental to the residents of Lincoln. 

 

Councillor Donald Nannestad, who had reserved his right to speak, spoke in favour of the original motion and strongly encouraged Council to vote in favour. 

 

Councillor Naomi Tweddle, as mover of the original motion, took her right of reply and outlined all of the investment taking place across the City, including outer areas, and reminded councillors that it was important to invest in the City to ensure its economy prospered. 

 

Having been proposed and seconded, in accordance with Council Procedure  Rule 19.7, a recorded vote was taken on the original motion, the result of which was as follows:

 

For (18)	Against (9)	Abstentions (0)
Councillor D Armiger	Councillor A Briggs
Councillor C Burke	Councillor J Brown
Councillor B Bushell	Councillor N Chapman
Councillor L Bushell	Councillor M Christopher
Councillor A Currier	Councillor T Dyer
Councillor L Danese	Councillor B Mara
Councillor G Hewson	Councillor C Smalley
Councillor R Longbottom	Councillor H Spratt
Councillor A McNulty	Councillor R Storer
Councillor D Nannestad
Councillor L Preston
Councillor A Pritchard
Councillor C Roper
Councillor D Stothard
Councillor N Tweddle
Councillor C Watt
Councillor J Wells
Councillor L Woolley

 

The motion was declared carried.

 

It was therefore RESOLVED that the Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025-2030 and the Capital Strategy 2025-2030, including the following specific elements, be approved:

 

·       A proposed Council Tax increase of 2.9% for 2025/26.

 

·       The Council being a member of the Lincolnshire Business Rates Pool in 2025/26.

 

·       The General Fund Revenue Forecast 2025/26-2029/30, as shown in Appendix 1 to the report, and the main basis on which this budget had been calculated (as set out in paragraph 4 of the report).

 

·       The Housing Revenue Account Forecast 2025/26-2029/30, as shown in Appendix 2 to the report, and the main basis on which this budget had been calculated (as set out in paragraph 5 of the report).

 

·       The General Investment Programme 2025/26-2029/30, as shown in Appendix 3 to the report, and the main basis on which the programme had been calculated (as set out in paragraph 6 of the report).

 

·       The Housing Investment Programme 2025/26-2029/30 as shown in Appendix 4, and the main basis on which the programme had been calculated (as set out in paragraph 7 of the report).

 

NOTE: At this point in proceedings, Councillor N Murray joined the meeting.