Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Cabinet welcomes engagement from members of the public. To speak at this meeting please register no later than one working day prior to the date of the meeting via democracy@southkesteven.gov.uk

There were no questions or statements from members of the public.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Rhys Baker.

There were no disclosures of interests.

Minutes of the meeting held on 5 May 2026.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 5 May 2026 were agreed as a correct record.

Review of car parking across South Kesteven following post implementation changes.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Commission a feasibility study in order to identify additional parking capacity in Stamford.

2.    Approve a new single charge of £3 at the Cattlemarket car park Stamford Monday to Thursday to encourage greater usage.

3.    Instruct officers to undertake the necessary steps pursuant to the introduction of a maximum 3 hour free parking limit at all Council Pay and Display car parks for blue badge holders.

4.    Agree to amend the Parking Order to reduce the parking limitation periods at SKDC car parks in Bourne town centre to the following: South Street – up to 12 hours

Burghley Street – up to 3 hours

Corn Exchange – up to 3 hours (excluding authorised parking)

5.    Agree to review and update the current waiting times at all other Council operated car parks across the District to ensure they remain appropriate for the usage requirements.

6.    Agree to a review of the controlled parking arrangements across the District following a six month implementation period.

7.    Delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Property and Public Engagement the establishment of a new season ticket offer for Cattle Market car park (Stamford) following changes to the daily parking charges.

Reasons for the decision

Making greater use of the available capacity meant the Council would better serve the needs of local residents and businesses.

The current disabled parking policy was not consistent with an ambition to ensure that where parking capacity was limited, an equitable offer was established.

Implementation of controlled parking measures in Bourne was recommended to limit parking periods, support turnover of spaces to increase footfall for local businesses and ensure regular visible enforcement of parking to ensure proper use of space provision.

Other options considered

Taking no action was not an option due to the ongoing parking pressures and issues identified at specific locations and car parks across the district.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Commission a feasibility study in order to identify additional parking capacity in Stamford.

2.    Approve a new single charge of £3 at the Cattlemarket car park Stamford Monday to Thursday to encourage greater usage.

3.    Instruct officers to undertake the necessary steps pursuant to the introduction of a maximum 3 hour free parking limit at all Council Pay and Display car parks for blue badge holders.

4.    Agree to amend the Parking Order to reduce the parking limitation periods at SKDC car parks in Bourne town centre to the following: South Street – up to 12 hours

Burghley Street – up to 3 hours

Corn Exchange – up to 3 hours (excluding authorised parking)

5.    Agree to review and update the current waiting times at all other Council operated car parks across the District to ensure they remain appropriate for the usage requirements.

6.    Agree to a review of the controlled parking arrangements across the District following a six month implementation period.

7.    Delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Property and Public Engagement the establishment of a new season ticket offer for Cattle Market car park (Stamford) following changes to the daily parking charges.

Other options considered

Taking no action was not an option due to the ongoing parking pressures and issues identified at specific locations and car parks across the district.

Reasons for the decision

Making greater use of the available capacity meant the Council would better serve the needs of local residents and businesses.

The current disabled parking policy was not consistent with an ambition to ensure that where parking capacity was limited, an equitable offer was established.

Implementation of controlled parking measures in Bourne was recommended to limit parking periods, support turnover of spaces to increase footfall for local businesses and ensure regular visible enforcement of parking to ensure proper use of space provision.

The following points were highlighted during debate:

• The proposals were discussed and recommended to Cabinet at a recent meeting of Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC).
• The Council appointed the consultants (Tetra Tech) who had been previously utilised to provide car parking studies. The detailed report was provided at Appendix A – Car Parking Update 2025.
• Officers were constantly seeking to get the maximum usage out of all the district’s car parks. Access to the car park at Bourne Corn Exchange was controlled by a barrier; careful thought would be given to its future usage.
• Tetra Tech have been used previously for similar studies; using them again allowed for continuity as they have experience and existing knowledge of the district’s car parks. They also acted as a critical friend. There were other companies that carried out this type of work, but as they started with no prior knowledge of South Kesteven, their costs may be higher.
• A number of these recommendations were subject to further analysis.
• The new parking charge change at the Cattle Market car  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The report details the amendments to Appendix C - Private Sector Housing Approach to Investigation and Enforcement of the Corporate Enforcement Policy following the introduction of new legislation and associated Government Guidance.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the amendments to Appendix C - Private Sector Housing Approach to Investigation and Enforcement of the Corporate Enforcement.

2.    Delegate authority to the Assistant Director: Leisure, Culture and Place, in consultation with the portfolio holder, to reformat Appendix C to ensure it is as user friendly as possible.

Reasons for the decision

To ensure that South Kesteven District Council met its statutory function and was compliant with associated statutory guidance.

Other options considered

None – statutory guidance had been published alongside new duties under the Renters Rights Act 2025 that the Local Authority must follow and enforce.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the amendments to Appendix C - Private Sector Housing Approach to Investigation and Enforcement of the Corporate Enforcement.

2.    Delegate authority to the Assistant Director: Leisure, Culture and Place, in consultation with the portfolio holder, to reformat Appendix C to ensure it is as user friendly as possible.

Other options considered

None – statutory guidance had been published alongside new duties under the Renters Rights Act 2025 that the Local Authority must follow and enforce.

Reasons for the decision

To ensure that South Kesteven District Council met its statutory function and was compliant with associated statutory guidance.

A major review of the Corporate Enforcement Policy was carried out by Cabinet, and several Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs). Further amendment to Appendix C of the Policy was required following the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

The differences between the current policy and the proposed policy were summarised as follows:

• Item 4 in the table on page 3 of the revised policy had been amended from the current policy to include reference to the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and the wording in the action column amended to include the revised maximum penalty amount from £30,000 to £40,000.
• The penalty matrix and associated guidance on the current policy in Appendix 1 on pages 22 to 28 have been completely replaced to incorporate the new changes as set out on pages 5 to 25 of the revised policy in Appendix 2.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) had published statutory guidance for Local Authorities in relation to setting penalties. This must be followed when setting a penalty matrix and issuing such penalties.

Statutory guidance meant that the Council’s existing penalty matrix needed amending to incorporate the new mandated penalty levels and the new offences included in the Renters Rights Act 2025.

The Association of Chief Environmental Health Officers (England) (ACEHO) have produced a policy that met the requirements set out in the statutory guidance for Local Authorities to adopt. This policy was developed as part of project “Jigsaw” which was the project funded by MHCLG to help deliver training and associated assistance to Local Authorities to prepare for the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

The Environmental Health Manager was thanked for his efforts on compiling this report.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the acceptance of the grant award of £909,278 for the delivery of the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) 2026/27.

2.    Approve the Council’s proposed delivery approach for the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) for 2026/27 as set out in this report.

3.    Approve the proposed eligibility criteria and operating principles for crisis payments.

4.    Approve the delegation to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing of any operational decisions and associated expenditure required to deliver the CRF scheme in accordance with the approved scheme framework, government guidance and allocated budget (as detailed in paragraph 2.17 of the report)

Reasons for the decision

The DWP expected authorities to commence delivery of the scheme from 1 April 2026 and submit a delivery plan by 1 July 2026. Joint working had been in place between Lincolnshire County Council, District Councils and support organisations during all stages of the Household Support Fund. It was recognised that a joint approach to this level of support would achieve the desired outcomes as set out in the framework and guidance.

Other options considered

The ‘do nothing’ option was discounted as the funding had been provided, and the requirement of the funding was to provide residents with support during times of crisis.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the acceptance of the grant award of £909,278 for the delivery of the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) 2026/27.

2.    Approve the Council’s proposed delivery approach for the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) for 2026/27 as set out in this report.

3.    Approve the proposed eligibility criteria and operating principles for crisis payments.

4.    Approve the delegation to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing of any operational decisions and associated expenditure required to deliver the CRF scheme in accordance with the approved scheme framework, government guidance and allocated budget (as detailed in paragraph 2.17 of the report)

Other options considered

The ‘do nothing’ option was discounted as the funding had been provided, and the requirement of the funding was to provide residents with support during times of crisis.

Reasons for the decision

The DWP expected authorities to commence delivery of the scheme from 1 April 2026 and submit a delivery plan by 1 July 2026. Joint working had been in place between Lincolnshire County Council, District Councils and support organisations during all stages of the Household Support Fund. It was recognised that a joint approach to this level of support would achieve the desired outcomes as set out in the framework and guidance.

This issue had been presented to Rural and Communities OSC on more than one occasion. 80 pages of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guidance had kept members informed about the design of the scheme. The process had involved all Lincolnshire district councils and Lincolnshire County Council (LCC).

The Fund aimed to provide a safety net for those on low incomes and wanted to invest in people to enable financial resilience, reducing the crisis need. The funding focussed on achieving three main outcomes:

1. Effective crisis support
2. Investment in improving financial resilience.
3. Building a strong support system, creating visible safety nets with pathways between councils and their partners.

It was not ideal that the eligibility criteria for the Fund hadn’t yet been confirmed. The government issued initial guidance on 15 January 2026, and a working group was mobilised shortly after. No major changes were anticipated to the delivery approach, eligibility criteria and operating principles attached to the Fund. Any operational changes would be approved under delegation to the Deputy Chief Executive.

£909,278 was granted to SKDC, with £625,086 for the delivery of crisis payments and £284,192 for resilience services. The funding was a significant financial uplift on the Household Support Fund. There was a contingency of funding – SKDC would feed back to LCC if they neared the total spend. If SKDC did not have any funding available, the crisis payments would cease. Resilience support would continue.

Decision

That Cabinet approve the inclusion of rent convergence in the Housing Revenue Account rent setting proposals from 1 April 2027.

Reasons for the decision

It was recommended that Cabinet approve the inclusion of rent convergence in the rent setting proposals from 1 April 2027 due to additional income that would be generated. which would support the HRA in meeting the financial challenges it was facing.

Other options considered

The Council could have chosen to set rent below the levels set out in the rent standard but this would have had an impact on the resources available to invest in the existing housing stock and the future financial resilience of the HRA.

Decision

That Cabinet approve the inclusion of rent convergence in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) rent setting proposals from 1 April 2027.

Other options considered

The Council could have chosen to set rent below the levels set out in the rent standard, but this would have had an impact on the resources available to invest in the existing housing stock and the future financial resilience of the HRA.

Reasons for the decision

Cabinet approved the inclusion of rent convergence in the rent setting proposals from 1 April 2027 due to additional income that would be generated, which would support the HRA in meeting the financial challenges it was facing.

Following a consultation in 2025 on Social Rent Convergence the Government published its policy statement on rents for social housing in January 2026 confirming that rent convergence would be implemented from April 2027. This, combined with the announcement in 2025 that social landlords would be permitted to increase rents by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 1% every year for 10 years from April 2026 to March 2036 had provided more certainty to the sector in being able to plan for investment to continue to improve the quality of existing homes alongside investment in housebuilding.

The Government directed The Regulator of Social Housing to set a rent standard from 1 April 2026 which reflected the Government’s 10-year rent settlement. Social landlords must comply with the requirements and expectations set out in the rent standard and the rent policy statement. The standard sets out that:

• Social landlords would generally be allowed to increase rents for social and affordable rent homes by up to CPI + 1% each year.
• Landlords would be able to further increase the weekly rent on social homes that were currently below ‘formula rent’ by an additional £1 per week from 1 April 2027 and an additional £2 per week from 1 April 2028 until formula rent was reached.

Formula rent was a method set by the Government for calculating social housing rents in England which was introduced to ensure a consistent approach across the sector in calculating rents. Formula rent was increased annually by CPI + 1%; this had resulted in differences between formula and social rent. For example, the increase in social rent in 2023/24 was capped at 7% due to the cost-of-living crisis whereas formula rent increased by 11.1%. The aim of rent convergence was to gradually increase rents each year until they aligned with formula rent.

The Council was currently undertaking analysis to calculate the additional income that would be received if rent convergence was included in the rent setting proposals from 1 April 2027. Initial estimates were that rent convergence in year 1 would generate an additional £300,000 for the Council, which was a significant addition to the annual income for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) which would contribute towards stabilising the revenue account. Once formula rent was established, officers would need to discover how many housing tenants would be impacted.

Decision

That Cabinet note the review of the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2024-2027.

Reasons for the decision

This summary report delivered a strategic overview of the first year of the Corporate Plan and offered assurance to residents and Members on our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.

Other options considered

The Overview & Scrutiny Committees (OSCs) lead on performance monitoring and scrutiny. Therefore, performance could purely be reported to the respective OSC. Whilst offering focused scrutiny in line with the Committee remits, the individual OSCs would be unable to assess the Council’s performance overall. This report provided an accessible and strategic overview of overall delivery for 2024/25. Detailed Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports for Q4 2025/26 would be presented to the OSCs over the Q2 2025/26 committee cycle.

Decision

That Cabinet note the review of the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2024-2027.

Other options considered

The Overview & Scrutiny Committees (OSCs) lead on performance monitoring and scrutiny. Therefore, performance could purely be reported to the respective OSC. Whilst offering focused scrutiny in line with the Committee remits, the individual OSCs would be unable to assess the Council’s performance overall. This report provided an accessible and strategic overview of overall delivery for 2024/25. Detailed Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports for Q4 2025/26 would be presented to the OSCs over the Q2 2025/26 committee cycle.

Reasons for the decision

In January 2024 the council adopted the Corporate Plan until 2027. This summary report delivered a strategic overview of the first year of the Corporate Plan and offered assurance to residents and Members on the ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.

A detailed breakdown of Quarter 4 Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data was due to be considered by the relevant committees. Next week the process started with Housing OSC.

The Corporate Plan contained 58 priorities. 7 have been completed, 41 were on target, and 10 were below target.

Vesting day for SKDC’s successor council would coincide with the expiration of the Corporate Plan. In 2027/2028 it was expected that SKDC would be under a Section 24 directive, which could impact the efficient delivery of Council business and may risk a meaningful delivery of the Corporate Plan.

This report provides an overview of decisions taken under delegated powers.

The decisions taken using delegated powers were noted.

This report highlights matters on the Cabinet’s Forward Plan.

The Forward Plan of Key and Non-Key decisions was noted.

Councillor Elvis Stooke to the Cabinet Member for Planning

Councillor Stooke asked for meeting with the Cabinet Member regarding a ward issue, which the Cabinet Member agreed to.

Councillor Matt Bailey to the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture

Councillor Bailey asked why the decision over a lease to Grantham Town Football Club was taken by an officer under delegated authority rather than being considered by an OSC, before arriving at Cabinet for a final decision.

The Cabinet Member and the Deputy Chief Executive informed Councillor Bailey that the Deputy Chief Executive had the correct delegated authority to take this decision. The plan was for Grantham Town Football Club to visit Culture and Leisure OSC in July.

Councillor Tim Harrison to the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste.

Councillor Harrison was waiting for a response to questions he had regarding green waste tariffs and wanted a promise he would get an answer in the coming week.

Councillor Baxter would make it a priority for Councillor Harrison to have a meeting with the relevant officers and Cabinet Member in the next fortnight.

Councillor Matt Bailey to the Cabinet Member for Planning

Councillor Bailey requested an update on the Poplar Farm development in Grantham, specifically the issues around a proposed bridge.

The Assistant Director (Planning and Growth) outlined that officers were looking at the drafting of the Section 106 agreement tied to the development and were liaising with consultees. There were no plans to bring the issue back to Planning Committee at this time.

Councillor Tim Harrison to the Cabinet Member for Corporate Governance and Licensing

Councillor Harrison asked whether video evidence of aggressive driving in Grantham marketplace could be sought, so that it could be submitted to Lincolnshire Police and LCC.

Councillor Knowles and the Head of Service for Public Protection requested the times and dates of this activity and promised to investigate it. If times and dates were known, it may be possible to plan future Safer Streets patrols to try and dissuade such activity.

Update from Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture

Councillor Stokes highlighted that it was National Volunteer Week from 1-6 June 2026. He wished to thank all volunteers that gave up their time across the district. Some of these volunteers would be the recipients of honours being awarded at an event in Dysart Park in Grantham between 12-3pm on Saturday 6 July 2026.

The meeting closed at 3:02 pm.