Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

The Leader of the Council had attended the launch of the South Kesteven District Council ‘blue’ freighter to promote awareness of prostate cancer. Previously, Councillors would have seen the ‘pink’ wagon which had promoted awareness of breast cancer.

There were no disclosures of interests.

Minutes of the meeting held on 11 June 2024.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 June were approved as a correct record.

To obtain approval to enter into a contract with Foster Property Maintenance Limited for the provision of replacing both pitched and flat roof coverings to Council owned dwellings for South Kesteven District Council.  The contract would be awarded for an initial period of 2 years with an option to extend for a further 1 plus 1 year.

Purpose of report

To obtain approval to enter into a contract with Foster Property Maintenance Limited for the provision of replacing both pitched and flat roof coverings to Council owned dwellings for South Kesteven District Council. The contract would be awarded for an initial period of 2 years with an option to extend for a further 1 plus 1 year.

Decision

That Cabinet approves the award of a contract to Foster Property Maintenance Limited for the replacement of pitched and flat roof coverings at South Kesteven District Council owned dwellings with an annual contract value of up to £1.5m for a period of two years with the option to extend for a further one year plus one year.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Consideration had been given to the option of maintaining the roof coverings, with replacement of failed components and replacing sections of tiles and felt, but these were not cost effective in the long term with replacement being inevitable.

Reasons for decision

The proposed contract award had followed compliant procurement processes and would provide the Council with the appropriate contracts to enable it to deliver the commitment to ensure that all residents can access housing which was safe, good quality, sustainable and suitable for their needs and future generations.

With the addition of the optional time, the potential life of the contract would be four years.

This report provides an update on the Grantham Meres Decarbonisation Scheme and seeks approval for the procurement of a contractor to undertake the works.

Purpose of report

This report provides an update on the Grantham Meres Decarbonisation Scheme and seeks approval for the procurement of a contractor to undertake the works.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Notes the updates to progress a decarbonisation scheme at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre.

2.    Delegates authority to the Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, to utilise a framework in order to direct award to a contractor to supply and install Solar PV at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre.

3.    Delegates authority to the Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, to utilise a framework in order to direct award to a contractor to carry out the design and installation of an upgraded low carbon heating system.

Alternative options considered and rejected

­Report back to Cabinet for delegated authority after the framework route was finalised and contract documents agreed. This would have delayed the project significantly due to the next Cabinet meeting being in September, which would have created a high risk of missing deadlines set out by Salix as a condition of the PSDS grant funding, and missing deadlines by Sport England as a condition of the grant SPSF funding.

Do not enter into a direct award framework and instead go to open market tender. Welland Procurement had advised an open tender process would not conclude until December and would require further authorisations, which would have delayed the project significantly due to open market process. This would have created a high risk of missing deadlines set out by Salix as a condition of the grant funding and would have jeopardised any delivery of the solar PV installation.

Reasons for decision

Delegating authority to the Deputy Chief Executive and S151 officer, to enter into an appropriate framework to direct award to a suitable contractor to carry out the required works, using the grant provided from Salix and Sport England, the Council could then be confident that due diligence checks were carried out on the chosen supplier, as part of the framework criteria, and the Council could then begin to plan and commence required works in line with both the Salix and Sport England grant funding criteria.

The funding received through the Swimming Pool Support Fund (Phase II) had been used for the completed installation of pool covers at the Meres Leisure Centre, as well as planned solar PV panel works.

Further significant funding had been received through Phase 3c of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS).

There were challenging deadlines to adhere to:

·         The solar PV system at the Meres Leisure Centre must be operational by February 2025.

·         Design phase for low carbon heating system must be completed by April 2025, with the installation and commissioning to follow in April 2026.

Together the schemes produced a significant reduction in carbon footprints putting the Meres Leisure Centre on track to be a ‘net zero’ facility. There would also be added benefits of improved comfort for centre users, and more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

This report sets out the proposals for a 19-unit new build social housing development at Larch Close, Grantham.

Purpose of report

This report set out the proposals for a new build social housing development at Larch Close, Grantham and also recommended that the new build contract be awarded to Mercer Building Solutions Ltd.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approves the outcome of the tender process and appoints Mercer

Building Solutions Ltd. as the preferred contractor for the construction of the housing development at Larch Close Grantham.

2.    Delegates to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in

consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to enter into a contract with Mercer Building Solutions Ltd to build 19 units at a cost of £3,833,555.

3.    Delegates to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in

consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to apply for amendments to the planning permission from the Local Planning Authority in order to ensure the development meets current housing needs and delivers value for money.

4.    Subject to the outcome associated with Recommendation 3, agrees to

delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in

consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, authority to vary the

construction contract accordingly.

Alternative options considered and rejected

The Council could have delayed commencement of the scheme or decided not to proceed with the development.

Reasons for decision

Developing the site would support the Council’s need for housing. Therefore the recommendation was for the contract to be awarded so works could commence in summer 2024.

The procurement process had been carried out in accordance with the Council’s Contract and Procurement Procedure Rules and the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Two years’ prior planning permission had been granted for 21 dwellings on the site, which consisted of nineteen flats or apartments, and two 4-bedroomed houses. This decision only concerned the nineteen flats or apartments; at the time of the planning application two 4-bedroomed houses seemed the best option. The latest housing needs analysis showed a need for one or two bedroomed dwellings. The intention was to return to Planning Committee and request substitution of the two 4-bedroomed houses with four 2-bedroomed dwellings.

This was one of the more expensive and larger Council developments, however it was a legacy project that had been subject to a robust tender process. There was an expected positive financial return on the investment of £60,000 per annum. The project was wholly funded from Housing Revenue Account (HRA) receipts.

To seek approval to enter into a contract with Foster Property Maintenance Ltd for the provision of carrying out disabled adaptation works to Council owned dwellings. The contract would be awarded for an initial period of 2 years with the option to extend for a further 1 year plus 1 year.

Purpose of report

To seek approval to enter into a contract with Foster Property Maintenance Ltd for the provision of carrying out disabled adaptation works to Council owned dwellings. The contract would be awarded for an initial period of 2 years with the option to extend for a further 1 year plus 1 year.

Decision

That Cabinet approves the award of a contract to Foster Property Maintenance Ltd. for carrying out disabled adaptation works to Council owned dwellings with an annual contract value of up to £520k for a period of 2 years with the option to extend for a further 1 year plus 1 year.

Alternative options considered and rejected

The option of using the Council’s own labour resource had also been considered, but was not considered a viable option because of current demands on resources.

Reasons for decision

The proposed contract award had followed compliant procurement processes and would provide the Council with the appropriate contract to enable it to deliver the commitment to ensure that all residents could access housing which was safe, good quality, sustainable and suitable for their needs and for future generations.

Adaptation requests received from Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) were wide and varied. Examples included grab rails, bathroom conversions, door widening, ramps and on rare occasions, small extensions.

The Council was committed to meeting the needs of tenants and supporting independent living. There was also a fund for adaptations for privately owned properties.

The report will provide a summary of the procurement exercise completed and put forward the proposed winning bidder for cabinet to formally consider and approve contract award.

The contract is for the provision of supply, install and maintenance of stairlifts and ramps for the Disabled Facility Grants Team and Council Adaptations service covering both private and council owned properties. The contract is for 5 years to the value of £600,000

Purpose of report

To obtain approval to enter into a contract with EMS Lifts Ltd for the provision, installation and maintenance of stairlifts, through floor lifts, step lifts and ramps for the Disabled Facility Grants Team and Council Adaptations service covering both private and council owned properties for a period of 3 years with the option to extend by a further 1 year plus 1 year.

Decision

That Cabinet approves the contract award for the supply, installation and maintenance of stairlifts, through floor lifts, step lifts and external modular ramps to EMS Lifts Ltd with an annual contract value of £120k for a period of 3 years with the option to extend by a further 1 year plus 1 year.

Alternative options considered and rejected

No other options were considered. This function cannot be delivered in house and the current arrangements are due to end, therefore this was the only option considered.

Reasons for decision

The current contractual arrangements were ending and following a robust procurement process the successful supplier. Due to the contract value and in accordance with the Constitution, the contract award requires Cabinet approval.

Two teams had been involved in working on the contract award; the Disabled Facility Grants team were responsible for private households, and the Council Adaptation team were responsible for Council tenants. A joint procurement exercise had taken place to find a new contractor to take on both services.

There was no means testing for private households. The discretionary financial limit was nominally £15,000, but there was discretion to go above this award. Items such as stairlifts tended to be lower in value and would not meet the discretionary threshold.

Funding could not be awarded retrospectively.

This report provides the Cabinet with the details of the Council’s provisional outturn position for the financial year 2023/2024. The report covers the following areas:
• General Fund Revenue Budget
• Housing Revenue Account Budget
• Capital Programmes – General Fund and Housing Revenue Account
• Reserves overview – General Fund and Housing Revenue Account

Purpose of report

This report provides Cabinet with the details of the Council’s provisional outturn position for the financial year 2023/24. The report covers the following areas:

• General Fund Revenue Budget

• Housing Revenue Account Budget

• Capital Programmes – General Fund and Housing Revenue Account

• Reserves overview – General Fund and Housing Revenue Account

Decision

Cabinet recommended to Governance and Audit Committee:

1.    The provisional Revenue and Capital Outturn position for the financial year 2023/24.

2.    The following reserve movements in respect of the General Fund:

o £680k of the Business Rates Volatility Reserve to be transferred to

the:

? ICT Reserve increase by £200k

? Property Maintenance Reserve increase by £250k

? Creation of a Flood Reserve of £30k

? Creation of a Leisure Investment Reserve of £200k

3.    The following reserve movement in respect of the Housing Revenue Account:

• Transfer £100k from the HRA Priorities Reserve to create an HRA Climate Change Reserve

4.    Delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive and section 151 Officer in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Finance, HR & Economic Development and Housing to finalise the reserve movements in order to ensure the Working Balance level for the General Fund and the Housing Revenue Account are maintained at prudent levels.

Cabinet:

5.    Reviewed and approved the budget carry forwards. (Section 3, 4, 5 & 6)

Alternative options considered and rejected

Cabinet needed to approve budget carry forwards and there are a number of recommendations to the Governance & Audit Committee. Therefore, the option for not producing a provisional outturn report was discounted.

The creation of a Flood Reserve would enable the Council to act quickly and decisively when residents were impacted by flooding.

The creation of an HRA Climate Change Reserve would enable climate change initiatives to take place through the HRA.

Reasons for decision

Members should be kept updated on the financial position of the Authority, as effective budget management was critical to ensuring financial resources were spent in line with the budget and were targeted towards the Council’s priorities. Monitoring enabled the early identification of variations against the plan and facilitated timely corrective action.

This report provided an overview of the provisional outturn financial position for the Council for 2023/24. It was important to maintain the IT and Property Maintenance Reserves at a high level to account for any hardware upgrades, or urgent maintenance to Council owned buildings. A recent example of property maintenance carried out was the replacement roof at Bourne Leisure Centre.

The Leisure Investment Reserve would enable investments in the Council’s leisure facilities. It was hoped that there would also be funding available from the government.

To present the proposed Productivity Plan 2024/25 for South Kesteven District Council, and to recommend the submission of said plan to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.

Purpose of report

To present the proposed Productivity Plan 2024/25 for South Kesteven District Council, and to recommend the submission of the Plan to the Department of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

Decision

That Cabinet approves the proposed Productivity Plan for submission to the Department of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

Alternative options considered and rejected

The Council could have decided to not produce and submit a Productivity Plan to DLUHC. This approach would not have been viable or prudent. It was in the interest of the Council to maintain good relations with DLUHC and to collaborate positively for the general benefit and future stability of the sector.

The workstream presented the opportunity to spotlight key completed and upcoming transformation work, offering assurance to residents, Members and the Government of our ongoing commitment to deliver high quality, financially sustainable, and value-for-money public services. This was in alignment with the priorities of the Corporate Plan 2024-27 and the delivery of the Best Value Duty - to secure continuous improvement - under the Local Government Act 1999.

Reasons for decision

The Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) had previously requested all authorities produce and submit productivity plans by 19 July 2024. The Plan had been developed in accordance with the DLUHC guidance, and spotlighted key completed and upcoming transformation projects.

Monitoring of the Plan would take place through service plans, and KPIs through the Overview & Scrutiny Committee structure.

To provide Cabinet with an opportunity to strengthen the process and delegated authority associated with acquiring or disposing of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) assets.

Purpose of report

To provide Cabinet with an opportunity to strengthen the process and delegated authority associated with acquiring or disposing of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) assets.

Decision

That Cabinet approves amendments to the Housing Revenue Account Asset Acquisition and Disposal to reflect the following:

1.    Incorporation of the template attached at Appendix B to demonstrate a business case associated with a proposed acquisition or disposal based on the criteria set out in the Policy.

2.    Delegated authority for the acquisition or disposal of HRA assets, as follows:

The Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive or relevant Director, in consultation with the Cabinet Member responsible for Housing, the Section 151 Officer, and Monitoring Officer, has authority to acquire or seek disposal of Housing Revenue Account Assets up to a value of £500,000, exclusive of any applicable VAT, subject to legal and valuation advice.

Alternative options considered and rejected

To take no action and retain the existing arrangements.

To consider an amendment to the delegated authority proposed.

To consider an amendment to use of the template proposed.

Reasons for decision

The introduction of a new template for presenting a business case, identifying how a proposal meets the criteria of the Policy, would strengthen the Council’s process in determining whether an acquisition or disposal was necessary or reasonable. This would lead to better informed decision-making.

The proposal also clarified delegated powers associated with decision-making, ensuring that the Cabinet Member and other key officers were consulted prior to any decisions being made, with a clear financial threshold.

To inform members of Cabinet on the progress made toward the development of an Economic Development Strategy for South Kesteven 2024 – 2028.

Purpose of report

To inform members of Cabinet on the progress made toward the development of an Economic Development Strategy for South Kesteven 2024 – 2028.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Notes the content of this report in respect to the development of the Economic Development Strategy including the revised timetable set out in Table 1 of the report.

2.    Notes that a Workshop for Members of the Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be held on 17 July 2024 to consider feedback from the recent consultation and its impact on the development of the Economic Development Strategy.

Alternative options considered and rejected

To move straight to a re-draft, without a second FEOSC Members Workshop.

Reasons for decision

This revised timetable facilitated a request from FEOSC to be regularly updated on progress towards the adoption of an Economic Development Strategy for the District 2024 – 2028 and provided a direct opportunity for Members to fully engage with the process.

Over 250 public sector partners were written to, including business club representatives and members of the public. Over a 4 week consultation and over 50 responses were received, focussing on:

·       ‘Connectivity’ within the district to maximise economic and social benefit. Respondents recognised the excellent infrastructure links provided by the A1, A52 and East Coast Mainline, however, noted the rural dimension to the district and the lack on internal connectivity between settlements across South Kesteven and the areas of employment, tourism, and leisure.

·       Consideration to facilitating a supply of available commercial business premises. Comments identified that whilst issues around the supply of employment land were considered in the strategy there were limited references to ensuring a supply of commercial premises that would meet the needs of local business; a ‘supply side’ issue considered to be consistent across the district.

·       Identification and development of key sectors. Respondents noted the sectoral approach to supporting new and emerging sectors that would be important in providing new and higher value employment opportunities across South Kesteven, however, they felt the strategy should go further and identify which sectors should be supported.

·       Further consideration to understand local productivity drivers and inclusion of plans to address them. The strategy recognised the need to increase productivity locally and the challenges in the relative performance of the district in comparison to the regional and national economies, however, respondents would like the strategy to be more specific on what the local issues are i.e. economic activity rates, skills, company profiles or other.

The results of the consultation required further analysis before reporting into the workshop on 17 July.

To provide Cabinet with the opportunity to approve the new Animal Licensing Policy.

Purpose of report

To provide Cabinet with the opportunity to approve the new Animal Licensing Policy.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approves the updated final draft of the South Kesteven District Council Animal Welfare Policy.

2.    Delegates to the Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Governance and Licensing, to make minor amendments to the Policy, such as legislative updates, which may become necessary from time to time to ensure its continued accuracy, but do not affect its direction or intent.

Alternative options considered and rejected

An Animal Welfare Policy was not necessary and therefore Cabinet can decide that a Policy is not required. The Authority could have continued to provide the animal welfare licensing provision in the current manner.

Reasons for decision

A new Animal Welfare Policy supported the Council in fulfilling its statutory duties associated with Animal Welfare Licensing, providing guidance to the public and for Officers and Members when decision making. It set out the principles the Council used in dealing with animal welfare matters.

Representations were made at Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee at two of its meetings in February and June 2024. Following these representations, legal advice was sought. No amendments were subsequently made in respect of the feedback received, save for some grammatical corrections.

The policy was not statutory requirement but was considered good practice.

Purpose of report

This report presented the updated Empty Homes Strategy. The Strategy was initially implemented in 2022. The revised version had been updated to reflect changes in the national and local context, providing a framework for the Council’s approach to reducing the number of Empty Homes within the district and mitigating their impacts.

The Strategy was recommended by the Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approves the updated Empty Homes Strategy for adoption and publication.

2.    Delegates authority to the Head of Service for Public Protection in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing to make minor amendments to the strategy to ensure continued accuracy.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Cabinet could have recommended that the Empty Homes Strategy was not updated, and that the existing version of the strategy remained in place.

The implementation of an Empty Homes Strategy was not a statutory duty of the Council, and therefore it could have been decided not to implement an Empty Homes Strategy.

Reasons for decision

Empty Homes could be a cause of concern for communities. In order to effectively tackle Empty Homes, respond to concerns from residents, and support property owners in bringing their property back into use, it was important that SKDC implemented a clear and consistent approach, with teams across the Council working together and sharing knowledge.

This strategy provided a framework for the approach to Empty Homes and aimed to lead to a reduction in the number of Empty Homes across the district, as well as mitigate their impacts. The Strategy was not a statutory requirement but was regarded as good practice.

The updates proposed to the strategy ensured that figures and cited information were recent, and that the strategy was updated following changes to the teams holding responsibility for dealing with Empty Homes.

‘Long-term’ empty homes were those regarded as being empty for over two years. The majority within the district were privately owned but a small number were owned by South Kesteven. Out of the 154 long-term empty properties within South Kesteven 15 were owned by the Council. The responsibility for returning them to use sits with the Voids team.

Nationally, just over 1% of the UK’s housing stock was defined as long term empty, and in England the number of long term empty homes had increased by nearly ten per cent over the past five years according to a report by the Local Government Association.

Currently the rate of Empty Homes in South Kesteven was in line with the national picture. As of 31 March 2024, there were 661 empty homes within the district. Of these, 497 properties had been empty for between six months and two years, and 164 had been empty for over two years. Properties were risk rated to create a ‘priority’ list.

The Strategy was initially published in 2022, however in February 2024 it was reviewed and updated with contributions from the Empty Homes Working Group (which contained a range of officers from South Kesteven).

An  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

The Children Act 2004 and the Care Act 2014 place responsibilities on the Council with regard to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults with needs of care and support. This report brings to the attention of Cabinet the update of the Council’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures.

Purpose of report

The Children Act 2004 and the Care Act 2014 placed responsibilities on the Council with regard to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults with needs of care and support. This report brought to the attention of Cabinet the update of the Council’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures.

Decision

That Cabinet approves the 2024-2027 Safeguarding Policy and Procedures.

Alternative options considered and rejected

The Council could retain its existing Safeguarding Policy but in doing so would operate outside of updated legislation and in isolation of other the District Councils of Lincolnshire.

Reasons for decision

By adopting the Safeguarding Policy 2024-2-27 the Council would continue to have consistency with its District partners whilst maintaining the requirements of the Children Act 2004 and the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Care Act 2014 and the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adult Board.

The Policy was valid for three years but it would be reviewed annually or as frequently as required.

Amendments have been made to a number of chapters of the Policy:

·         Updates to the policy relate to changes in legislation and statutory guidance and included amendments throughout Chapter 3 Safeguarding Children and Young People to reflect updates to statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children

·         The chapters relating to Domestic Abuse (Chapter 5) and Prevent (Chapter 6) have been updated in relation to the introduction of, or changes to, the law.

·         Amendments have been made to Chapter 11 – Transient Families. This chapter was previous called ‘Mobile Families’ and was adapted from Transient Families Guidance produced by the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership.

·         Appendix B – Training Structure and Programmes had been updated to meet the requirements of the 6 year training pathways of the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (LSCP) and the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) to ensure the Authority continued to meet national competency standards.

The link to the Council’s modern slavery statement was now on the front page of the Council’s website. Safeguarding was the responsibility of everyone.

Senior officers within the Council brought monthly reports to the Stautory Officers’ Group and had also recently led on the Council’s Section 11 response.

Following the recommendation by Members of the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny on 18 June 2024, the purpose of this report is to seek approval of the Play Area Strategy for South Kesteven.

Purpose of report

Following the recommendation by Members of the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny on 18 June 2024, the purpose of this report was to seek approval of the Play Area Strategy for South Kesteven.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approves the Play Area Strategy for South Kesteven.

2.    Recommends an Action Plan be developed and be presented to a future Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

3.    Recommends that the Strategy and Action Plan be reviewed in three years’ time, or sooner if required.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Within the Council’s Corporate Plan there was a key theme of supporting healthier lifestyles and the provision of high-quality play areas supported this ambition. The Council was responsible for the safety of those using its play areas and had a defined inspection and maintenance regime in place to satisfy the requirements of the Health and Safety Executive and BS EN1176 (the British and European Playground Standard). Therefore the ‘do nothing’ option was discounted.

Reasons for decision

The Play Area Strategy would become the guiding principal document to enable the Council to prioritise the replacement of equipment or refurbishment of play areas within the allocated budget. It would be a material consideration for planning applications and be used to support decisions on planning applications.

The draft Play Area Strategy had previously been presented to the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 18 June 2024, with the recommendation for the Strategy to progress to Cabinet for approval with the inclusion of accessible play equipment within the strategy. In addition there was the requirement for an action plan to be developed and presented to a future meeting of the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Council owned a vast array of play equipment on 33 sites and faced additional financial pressures and the costs associated with maintaining those areas. The Play Area Strategy enabled the Council to keep working with external stakeholders on this maintenance.

This was not the same as a ‘play strategy’. The Council wanted to improve their existing play areas and this was one part of the commitment to encourage active lifestyles across the district.

This report provides an overview of decisions taken by individual Cabinet Members since the last meeting of the Cabinet on 11 June 2024.

The decisions were noted.

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

An item on the extension of the Stamford Cattle Market Car Park for November’s Cabinet was added to the Forward Plan.

The remainder of the Forward Plan was noted.

The Leader of the Council gave Members the opportunity to ask questions of the Cabinet:

Councillor Harrish Bisnauthsing asked when the extension of the Stamford Cattle Market car park would take place, and why it needed to be heard by Planning Committee prior to works starting

The Deputy Chief Executive confirmed that planning permission would be sought later in 2024, with September 2024 being the earliest date that Planning Committee would consider any application. If the planning application was successful a contractor would be procured and a contract awarded by the relevant body, with mobilisation on site in January 2025 followed by an anticipated 16 week programme of works. The plan was for the new car park to be open in Spring 2025.

The Assistant Director of Planning responded that the current site planned for the extension was a Cattle Market, so the planning application would be for ‘change of use’.

Councillor Tim Harrison asked whether Cabinet could investigate the Wyndham Park model boat area’s potential disposal to Grantham Model Boat Club.

The Cabinet Members for Leisure and Culture and Property and Public Engagement agreed to look into this issue and reply to Councillor Harrison.

Councillor Harrish Bisnauthsing asked whether any more electric vehicle charging points could be installed at Stamford Wharf Road Car Park.

The Cabinet Member for Property and Public Engagement responded and stated that eight spots for electric vehicles were planned.

A number of spaces were planned under the LEVI scheme funded through Lincolnshire County Council and would be installed soon. Further government initiatives were awaited to fund any further electric vehicle charging points in car parks.

Cabinet agreed to raise the St. George’s Flag at SK House whilst the England Men’s Football team remained in the European Championships.

The meeting closed at 3:22pm.