Agenda

This meeting can be watched as a live stream, or at a later date, via the SKDC Public-I Channel

For those Councillors who wish to attend, prayers will be held at 1:55pm before the commencement of the meeting. Please be seated by 1:50pm.

The public open forum will commence at 2.00 p.m. and the following formal business of the Council will commence at 2.30 p.m. or whenever the public open forum ends, if earlier.

Minutes of the two previous meetings held on 21 May 2026 (Extraordinary and AGM).

To consider the acceptance of the additional Warm Homes Social Housing Fund (WH-SHF) grant of £999k which the Council has been awarded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the associated Council match funding requirement and a budget increase to the HRA Capital Programme.

This report provides a summary of the work undertaken by all Overview and Scrutiny Committees during 2025/2026.

A 45-minute period in which members may ask questions of the Leader, Cabinet Members, the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees and opposition group leaders excluding the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Planning Committee, Licensing and Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Committees and Governance and Audit Committee.

Motion: Local Government Reorganisation and the Name of Any Successor

Authority

A. This Council notes that:

1.    Local Government Reorganisation is being advanced by Central Government with the stated aim of replacing two-tier local government with larger unitary authorities.

2.    If reorganisation proceeds, South Kesteven District Council is likely to become part of a much larger unitary authority.

3.    Proposals under consideration include a successor authority comprising North Kesteven, South Kesteven and South Holland.

4.    Lincolnshire is not merely a compass-point geography, but a county of deep historic identities, including the historic Parts of Kesteven, Holland and Lindsey.

5.    Cabinet has already provided the Council’s formal response to Government concerning the suggested name for a successor authority as part of its representations on the detailed contents of the Structural Changes Order. This motion does not seek to overturn that decision rather it provides an opportunity for the wider body of Members to express their view on this issue and have that view communicated to Government.

B. This Council believes that:

1.    Local Government Reorganisation risks weakening local democracy by replacing councils rooted in recognisable communities with larger and more remote institutions.

2.    The suggested financial savings from reorganisation remain uncertain and must be weighed against transition costs, disruption to hard-working council officers, and the potential loss of local knowledge.

3.    South Kesteven, North Kesteven and South Holland are not administrative blank spaces to be tidied away by Whitehall. They are places with histories, loyalties, civic inheritance and names which matter.

4.    Any successor authority should have a name that reflects the historic geography, identity and civic inheritance of the area it serves.

5.    A generic compass-point name such as “South Lincolnshire Council” would not adequately reflect the historic identities of Kesteven and Holland.

6.    Should this Council’s ‘Best4GreaterLincolnshire’ LGR proposal be favoured by Government, the name of the successor authority comprising North Kesteven, South Kesteven and South Holland should be “Kesteven and Holland Council.”

7.    Should either of the ‘Greater Lincolnshire Local Government Reorganisation - People, Place, Prosperity’ or the ‘Your Lincolnshire’ LGR proposals be favoured by Government, the name of the successor authority of which South Kesteven will form part should be “Kesteven, Holland and Lindsey Council”

C. This Council therefore resolves to:

1.    Place on record its regret at the direction of travel towards Local Government Reorganisation and the potential abolition of district councils such as South Kesteven.

2.    Request that the Leader of the Council write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to make them aware that further to the Council’s formal representation on this issue (which remains unchanged), a majority of Members present at this meeting of Full Council have expressed the view that any successor authority should be named as set out in Paras. B(6)-B(7) of this motion.

3.    Invite other relevant councils to consider making the same representations to Central Government.

Council notes that:-

?     Public houses are often among the last remaining community facilities in rural settlements, playing a vital role in reducing social isolation, supporting local employment, encouraging tourism and strengthening community cohesion.

?     The loss of a public house can have a significant adverse impact on the social and economic wellbeing of towns and villages across South Kesteven.

?     South Kesteven has experienced a number of pub closures in recent years, with some sites subsequently proposed for residential development.

?     Once a pub is lost, it is often impossible to replace – particularly in villages, where it may be the last remaining meeting place.

?     Recent losses and closures affecting our communities include the Houblon Arms, Oasby (within my Ward); the Cross Swords, Skillington; the Springfield Arms, Grantham (closed prior to 2024); and the Wheatsheaf Inn, Dry Doddington (closed February 2023).

?     Since April 2017, public houses have lost their previous permitted development rights: a change of use away from a pub, or its demolition, now requires a full planning application, giving councils and communities a formal opportunity to object. National planning policy and the Localism Act 2011 (via Assets of Community Value) provide further mechanisms to help protect valued community pubs.

Council believes that:-

?     Public houses which serve as valued community facilities should be retained wherever possible.

Council therefore resolves to:-

?     Reaffirm its support for the retention and protection of valued public houses and other community facilities throughout South Kesteven.

?     Request  that the Executive considers commissioning Officers to develop and make available guidance for Parish and Town Councils on the options available to help safeguard valued public houses – including planning policy protections, nomination of Assets of Community Value, community ownership opportunities, and relevant grant funding – to support our communities in their fight to save our great British pubs.

?     Request that the Rural & Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee consider the matter as part of its work programme and receive a report on progress within three months.

Three million animals die each year on UK roadsides due to litter. Almost 1,000 people a year are injured on our roads due to animals. In Lincolnshire over 200 call outs a year are due to deer on our roads. There is a link between roadside litter, animal deaths, and some traffic accidents on our rural roads.

In recent months I have been in touch with both South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) and transport officers at Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) to bring the two councils together to work on roadside litter.

Our district council has not been collecting this litter due to issues with lane closures, equipment, health and safety and cost, but also cross council communication. I am very pleased to see that both SKDC and LCC are happy to work together to improve this situation.

This council agrees to use the existing funding in the A1 litter reserve (£45,000) and investigate other funding options to complement a programme of joint council litter collection on our litter strewn A and B road network. This will support motorists, tourism, and the environment by removing some of this never-ending stream of rubbish from our roadsides.

Apart from a win for nature this may ultimately save lives on our roads.