Agenda and decisions

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

Minutes of the meeting held on 10 February 2026.

Decision

That Cabinet approves the award of the contract for the Microsoft Subscription Agreement at an amount of £540,000 for a period of 3 years commencing on 1 April 2026.

Reasons for the decision

A Microsoft Subscription Agreement was required to ensure the Council can continue to use Microsoft applications, which include Windows Server software, Email, Word and Teams applications. Microsoft Intune and Defender applications provide device management and cyber security on all corporate laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

Changing to another provider would have been a massive undertaking meaning all devices would have needed to be rebuilt, including servers and laptops. Servers would also need rebuilding, and most software suppliers do not test on non-Microsoft environments. Days of downtime and much external support would have been needed to attempt this scale of change.

Other options considered and rejected

Option 1 - moving to an alternative environment. This option was discounted for a variety of reasons; these reasons included:

-       all laptops, servers, and applications would have required full rebuilds or replacement. Many third-party software solutions used by the Council were not compatible with or tested on alternative provider platforms. Migration to a new environment would have required significant external support, meaning periods of significant service downtime. The introduction of such a change would have led to significant operational and security risks.

-       Option 2 - Not renewing the contract. This option was also not deemed to be viable as these licences provided critical business systems, including email, teams and file access, meaning officers and councillors would be unable to perform core duties. This option would also introduce a significant security risk as devices would lose security protection, creating unacceptable cyber -security threat.

To consider South Kesteven DC's response to the MHCLG Statutory Consultation on proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Lincolnshire.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Delegate authority to the Leader of the Council, in consultation with the Chief Executive, to determine the form and content of, and to submit, South Kesteven District Council’s response to the Government’s statutory consultation on proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Lincolnshire.

2.    Approve publication of the Council’s response to the statutory consultation following the conclusion of the consultation period.

Reasons for the decision

The Government had invited the Council to participate in the statutory consultation for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Greater Lincolnshire. The statutory consultation would be used to inform the final government decision.

Other options considered and rejected

The Council was under no obligation to submit a consultation response. However, the statutory consultation would be used to inform the final government decision on LGR. Therefore, if the Council did not submit a response, it would lose an opportunity to influence the government on LGR.

The Chairman of Council was content that call-in need not apply to this decision – the notice attached to the call-in waiver is available at https://moderngov.southkesteven.gov.uk/documents/s50103/LGR%20Consultation%20Urgency%20Notice.pdf.

To consider a Local Plan Grant from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Endorse the acceptance of the Local Plan grant funding of £227,962.50 Local Plan Grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive and s151 Officer to establish the appropriate revenue budgets to enable the Local Plan funding to be allocated in accordance with the grant conditions.

Reasons for the decision

Work needs to be carried out regardless of whether or not the Council uses the funding. By using the funding and not returning it to government, this would lessen the burden on the Council’s own budgets.

Other options considered and rejected

Whilst the Council could return the funds to government, the additional work still needed to be carried out, and this would have placed additional pressures on the Council’s budgets; this option had therefore been discounted.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the adoption of the Climate Action Plan for South Kesteven.

2.    Delegate authority to the Director for Housing and Projects in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste to approve minor amendments to the South Kesteven Climate Action Plan.

Reasons for the decision

Publishing a Climate Action Plan helped to clarify the specific projects the Council intended to implement, whilst continuing towards its ambitions both to meet its own interim net-zero carbon target, but also to contribute to national carbon reduction targets and adaptation strategies.

Other options considered and rejected

The Council could have chosen not to publish a climate action plan as there was no statutory expectation for public authorities to develop or publish carbon reduction strategies. However, this would not have been in line with the Council's stated ambition for carbon reduction ahead of the government target of 2050.

The Council could have chosen not to publish or report on the projects highlighted within the draft Climate Action Plan. However, publication and regular reporting on the Climate Action Plan would increase the visibility of various projects addressing carbon mitigation and adaptation from across the Council.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Note the biodiversity duty for all public authorities and requirements to report on actions and progress.

2.    Approve the adoption of the South Kesteven Biodiversity Action Plan.

3.    Delegate to the Director of Housing and Projects, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, the approval of minor amendments to the South Kesteven Biodiversity Action Plan as new Government guidance emerges.

Reasons for the decision

The Environment Act 2021 has strengthened the Biodiversity Duty of local authorities and as a result, it has become the legal obligation of South Kesteven District Council as a both a public authority and local planning authority to develop and implement a Biodiversity Action Plan.

Other options considered and rejected

It was a statutory requirement under the Environment Act 2021 that all local authorities (excluding parish councils) and local planning authorities must publish a biodiversity report. Therefore, the option to ‘do nothing’ has been discounted.

To consider approving the Tenancy Strategy.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the adoption of the Tenancy Strategy 2026-2031 subject to the outcome of the consultation with tenants.

2.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing and Projects to make minor alterations and amendments to the Policy post adoption as required by changes to regulations and expectations by the Regulator for Social Housing.

Reasons for the decision

The Tenancy Strategy provided an up-to-date, legally compliant framework that supported the Council’s housing objectives and promoted sustainable, balanced communities.

Adopting the Strategy would ensure compliance with the Localism Act 2011, which required all local housing authorities in England to publish a Tenancy Strategy to set the framework for which Registered Providers of social housing should follow when developing their own tenancy related policies.

Other options considered and rejected

The option of not reviewing or updating the Tenancy Strategy was considered. This option was discounted as it would have risked non-compliance with statutory requirements and would not reflect current legislation, policy guidance, or local housing pressures.

To seek agreement for a six-week consultation with minor amendments delegated to Portfolio Holder and Assistant Director.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the public consultation of the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) available at Appendix 2 of the report.

2.    To delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Planning & Growth, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, to make any minor changes to the appearance, format and text of the SCI document, in the interests of clarify and accuracy prior to its publication for consultation.

Reasons for the decision

The Council was required to prepare a Statement of Community Involvement and to subsequently review that document every five years. Whilst it was not mandatory to consult on the draft document, it was good practice to do so.

Other options considered and rejected

To not review and update the SCI and continue to use the existing document was an option. However, the existing SCI did not reflect current requirements set out in legislation or regulations. The Council was also required to review the SCI every five years. The do-nothing option had therefore been discounted.

To seek agreement for a six-week consultation with minor amendments delegated to the Portfolio Holder and Assistant Director.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve the draft South Kesteven Design Code for the purpose of public consultation, available at Appendix 4 of the report.

2.    Delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Planning & Growth, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, to make any minor changes to the appearance, format and text of the Design Code SPD, in the interests of clarify and accuracy prior to its publication for consultation.

Reasons for the decision

The Council was part of a pilot Local Planning Authorities Design Code Pathfinder Fund. It is therefore vital to commence a consultation, which will contribute to enabling good quality, well designed developments being permitted within the District.

Other options considered and rejected

To not produce a Code and continue to use the existing Guide. However, the existing Guide was not a Code and therefore does not reflect current requirements set out in legislation or regulations (the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA) (15F in Schedule 7).

To present the Council’s forecast 2025/26 financial position as at end of December 2025.
The report covers the following areas:
• Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Revenue Budget
• Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme

Decision

That Cabinet noted the forecast 2025/2026 outturn position for the HRA Revenue and Capital budgets as at the end of December 2025.

Reasons for the decision

Members should be kept up to date regarding the financial position of the Authority. Effective budget management was critical to ensuring financial resources were targeted towards the Council’s priorities. Monitoring enabled early identification of variations against the plan and timely corrective action.

Other options considered and rejected

Cabinet should have oversight of Council budgets, therefore, the option of not producing a monitoring report was discounted.

To present the Council’s forecast 2025/26 financial position as at end of December 2025 with specific regard to the General Fund Revenue Budget and the General Fund Capital Programme.

Decision

That Cabinet noted the forecast 2025/26 outturn position for the General Fund Revenue and Capital budgets as at the end of December 2025.

Reasons for the decision

Members should be kept updated on the financial position of the Authority, because effective budget management was critical to ensuring financial resources are targeted towards the Council’s priorities. Monitoring enables early identification of variations against the plan and timely corrective action.

Other options considered and rejected

Cabinet should have oversight of Council budgets, therefore, the option of not producing a monitoring report was discounted.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approve and adopt the Sport and Physical Activity Strategy 2026 – 2031.

2.    Delegate authority to the Assistant Director (Leisure, Culture and Place), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture to make any minor changes required (such as grammar and layout) once the Policy is implemented.

Reasons for the decision

The current Strategy had been in place since 2021 and was due to expire in 2026.

The Sport and Physical Activity Strategy would provide a basis for the Council to deliver on its ambition to increase health and wellbeing outcomes across South Kesteven.

Other options considered and rejected

The Strategy played a pivotal role in working towards the ambitions set out in the Council’s Corporate Plan (2024-27). Therefore, the option to ‘do nothing’ had been discounted.

To approve and adopt the Body Worn Video Policy.

Decision

That Cabinet approve and adopt the Body Worn Video (BWV) Policy.

Reasons for the decision

This Policy had been developed to ensure the appropriate use of BWV by officers within South Kesteven District Council. The use of BWV aimed to enhance personal safety, reduce incidents of abuse or aggression, provide an accurate record of events, and increase transparency and accountability.

Other options considered and rejected

The Council could have decided not to adopt a Policy and continue the current use of BWV, via enforcement officers, mainly for car parking enforcement work only. However it was decided to reject this option and adopt a bespoke Policy.

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