Agenda and minutes

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the meeting, should one be required.

The Chairman proposed a change to the order of agenda items, moving agenda item 8 – St Martin’s Park, Stamford Redevelopment Project to the final item, following agenda item 10 – an update on the Grantham Future High Streets Fund.

This was seconded and AGREED.

Following nominations, it was proposed, seconded, and AGREED that Councillor Lee Steptoe act as Vice-Chairman for today’s meeting.

The Council welcomes engagement from members of the public.  To speak at this meeting please register no later than 24 hours prior to the date of the meeting via democracy@southkesteven.gov.uk

No comments from members of the public were received.

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors’ Gloria Johnson and Murray Turner.

Councillor Harrish Bisnauthsing substituted for Councillor Turner and Councillor Graham Jeal substituted for Councillor Johnson.

Councillor Helen Crawford represented the South Kesteven Coalition Group.

The Deputy Leader confirmed apologies from Councillor Virginia Moran.

Members are asked to disclose any interests in matters for consideration at the meeting.

No disclosures of interest were received.

It was proposed, seconded, and AGREED that the minutes from the meeting held on 28 November 2023 were a correct record.

There were none.

To consider updates on actions agreed at the meeting held on 28 November 2023.

The Chairman confirmed that the action arising from the previous meeting of 28 November 2023 to arrange an additional meeting of the Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee was complete as todays meeting represented the additional committee requested.

This Mid-Year update report outlines South Kesteven District Councils performance against the Corporate Plan Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the period of April – September 2023.

The report was introduced by the Head of Corporate Policy, Projects and Performance.

The South Kesteven Corporate Plan 2020-23 was approved by Council on 1 October 2020.  It was agreed by the Council that actions, key performance indicators (KPIs) and targets would be developed by the relevant overview and scrutiny committee, which would retain oversight of the performance management arrangements at a strategic level.  These actions and indicators were presented to this committee and agreed on 23 February 2021.

The Year End report for 2022/23 was presented to the Committee on 27 June 2023 and outlined the performance against the Corporate Plan for the previous financial year.  This report built on these historical reports to provide an update on performance to the mid-year point of the 2023/24 financial year. It incorporated the changes recommended by the last KPI review to outline areas of the council’s performance which were successful and to advise where challenges may lay.

2023/2024 was the final year of monitoring these existing KPIs.  A refresh of the Corporate Plan was currently underway.  All Members had the opportunity to engage in the development of the new Corporate Plan, which will be adopted in January 2024.  To accompany the new Corporate Plan, a new suite of KPIs will be developed to reflect the priorities, ambitions and actions of the new Plan.  These KPIs were to be approved by each Committee and reporting was to commence from April 2024.

• 7 of the actions were rated Green.  These were actions which were on or above target as planned.  Included within these were ‘healthy and strong communities’ and ‘investing in high quality leisure facilities across the District.

• 2 actions were rated as Amber, these were those off target by less than 10% or where milestone achievement was delayed but with resolution in place to be achieved within a reasonable timeframe.  It was noted that within ‘the delivery of growth in the economy’ 2 actions were items at today’s Committee – St Martin’s Park, Stamford and delivery of the Heritage Action Zone Project.

The Director of Growth and Culture had provided extended commentary on the KPIs for The Grantham Future High Streets Fund and the Heritage Action Zone in the covering report.

During discussion, Members raised the following points:

·            There were a number of KPIs recorded as ‘not reported’.  Why was this?

·            The Council was significantly below target for protecting the most vulnerable residents with safeguarding processes as well as meeting the Housing needs of residents.  How could this be improved?

·            The Southern Urban extension project was still very much in prospect, shouldn’t this still be a current KPI?

The Head of Corporate Policy, Projects and Performance informed Members that the Corporate Plan had been in place for some time and a lot of the original targets had been completed or superseded with other KPIs more fit for purpose during the lifetime of the Corporate Plan.  The Officer confirmed that the Rural and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee were responsible for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

To provide a further update on the Grantham Future High Streets Fund programme, as requested during the previous meeting of the Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

On 19 September 2023, the Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee were provided with an update on the Grantham Future High Streets Fund programme which highlighted rising costs in relation to construction and infrastructure works. Committee Members requested for an additional update report to be presented to the November meeting.

The Leader of the Council provided an update to the Committee.

An agreement held between South Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council regarding the public realm schemes had been confirmed at an estimated cost of £1.8 million for the Market Place Scheme and a scaled down Station Approach Scheme estimated at £0.6 million.  The report also gave Members an update on the strategic site acquisition element of the Programme.  Legal Advisors had stated that due to the shortened timeframe there was no prospect of acquiring the site utilising compulsory purchase powers.  Consideration had been made as to whether the project could be achievable in the context of programme extension, however, this was unfortunately not the case.

‘Since the report was published in November 2023, the Council was given the option by the Department for Levelling-Up Housing and Communities to relocate approximately £2.1 million of funding to the undeliverable strategic site acquisition project, to deliver the Station Approach Project in full, allowing both schemes to be delivered as originally envisaged, which would maximise delivery and prevent a return of funding to Central Government.

Members of the Programme Board had since met with Lincolnshire County Council and the County Council had since provided a high-level update delivery plan for the public realm projects.  Furthermore, an additional project had been identified through which we could utilise the reallocated funding.  This was around capital works to bring back toilets in the Market Place that had been closed for over 10 years, in order to support the vitality of the area.  This project had been estimated at a maximum of £90,000.  The Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities were supportive of the project in principle and a formal request to proceed with the works had been submitted.

As the project budget had changed significantly, this had been subject to both the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities’ project adjustment request process and their agreement to extend the programme period.  These requests had now been submitted.  Should the programme extension request be approved, this would extend the programme period by six months to September 2024 and the delivery period by 12 months to April 2025.

The Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities had confirmed that approval was likely, which would allow the Council time to complete both major public realm projects by March 2025.  The project adjustment request also requested the removal of the strategic site acquisition from the Future High Streets Fund’s programme.  The Council awaited a decision regarding this and requested reallocation of funding.

The report also updated Members on the Upper Floor Grants Programme.  Since the previous meeting of the Committee, the very late withdrawals of both the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

To provide the Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee with an update regarding St Martins Park, the options available to the Council and next steps for the site for consideration.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report, recommending that:

The Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

1. Noted the progress made regarding the delivery of the St Martins Park, Stamford development.

2. Reviewed the options that were currently available for the next phase of the project.

3. Recommended to Council a preferred way forward based on the options set out in this report.

South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) acquired in March 2019 land and buildings of the former ‘Cummins’ factory site which had previously provided employment for up to 500 people on Barnack Rd, Stamford.  The site was positioned on the edge of Stamford, to the southeast of the town centre and was originally purchased by the Council for the growth and regeneration of Stamford and to ensure the site was not used for the building of residential homes but instead attracting jobs to replace those lost when the former factory site closed.

To secure the site, the Council paid above the asking price for a quick purchase as it was originally intended to build out the scheme itself hence an agreement to some terms imposed by Cummings, the vendor of the site.  The Council agreed that it would enter into a collaboration agreement with Burghley to include commercial mixed use, a retirement village as well as residential homes.  Burghley owned the neighbouring land, formerly allocated for employment usage.  Outline planning consent had been obtained.

A marketing campaign sought to secure potential developers and 3 developers were shortlisted.  Surveys and agents reports had been obtained.  Within the collaboration agreement, each landowner bears the cost of remediation work to their site and the Council was required to demolish and remediate the factory buildings.  The Council appointed G F Tomlinson to deliver all 24 buildings on the former factory site, completing in December 2022.

Following demolition, the Council were fully able to assess the remediation works that were required and this was found to be more that originally expected with 2 plumes on site requiring the Environment Agency to approve the strategy of how this was to be done and test afterwards.  The Council asked the developers to consider undertaking these works with the cost coming from the end of receipt of the Council’s side of the site.

At 10.35, it was proposed, seconded, and AGREED that the meeting continue with the exclusion of the press and public.

Under Section 100(a)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public may be excluded from the meeting during any listed items of business, on the grounds that if they were to be present, exempt information could be disclosed to them as defined in the relevant paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Act.

To consider the Work Programme 2023 – 2024.

The Committee considered the Work Programme 2023-2024.

The Maintenance Strategy and Condition Survey item was AGREED to be moved to the meeting in May 2024.  The Deputy Chief Executive confirmed the survey was to be more in-depth, hence the requirement for bringing the report to a later meeting.  The Officer confirmed a report on the Council Tax Discount Scheme for Veterans was to be heard at the 20 February meeting.

The Head of Corporate Policy, Projects and Performance confirmed that the new Draft KPIs would be on the agenda for 20 February 2024.

A Member requested a breakdown of the Grantham Market costings.  The Deputy Executive agreed to send the information after the meeting.

There was no other business.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 12:30.