Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs W Bowkett, G E Cullen, C Matthews, Mrs C J Lawton, A J Spencer, H Spratt and A H Turner MBE JP.

Councillor Mrs K Cook requested that it be noted that in relation to agenda item 5, her company had been a long time supplier of Mid-UK which was mentioned in the report.

Councillor C E Reid also requested that in relation to agenda item 7, it be noted that his partner had acted as election agent for Miss Sayer in 2017.

RESOLVED

            That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 September 2018 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Chairman reported that since the last meeting of the County Council he had continued to carry out his civic engagements with pride, representing the Council by visiting places and meeting people and organisations from all around the County.

The Chairman thanked his wife Diane, for supporting him on these engagements and also the Vice-Chairman and Lady, Councillor Tony Bridges and Trina Wright for representing them at civic functions when they had been unable to attend.

He reported that it had been an honour to be involved in the Armistice 100 commemorations on Remembrance Day including a poignant service held in Lincoln Cathedral which was well supported and attended by hundreds of people.

The Chairman and Lady were delighted to welcome two members of the Royal family to Lincolnshire, the first being HRH The Earl of Wessex when he visited the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln.  This was followed earlier in the week by HRH The Princess Royal when she officially opened Market Rasen Railway Restoration project and the Linkage Education Centre at Boultham Park, Lincoln.

On a sadder note, the Chairman reported the death of former County Councillor Peter Robinson.  Peter had represented the Market and West Deeping Electoral Division from 1997 to May 2017.  During that time he served on the Executive, where his portfolio included the areas of Community Safety, Local Strategic Partnerships, Diversity and Social Cohesion.  He was also Deputy Leader from 2005 until 2012.  The Chamber observed a minute's silence and members paid tribute to former County Councillor Robinson.

The Chairman informed members that a complete itinerary of civic engagements since the last meeting of the Council were available from the Civic Officer on request.

Statements by Members of the Executive had been circulated with the agenda.

In addition to the statements already circulated, Councillor C N Worth, Executive Councillor for Culture and Emergency Services, reported that he had hoped to give a report on the first inspection by HM Constabulary and Fire and Rescue, however, the Home Office had decided to delay publication of this report for another week.

Members were advised that this report would now be published on Thursday, 20 December 2018, and a summary of that report would be circulated to all members.

The Executive Councillor reported that he and senior officers from the Fire Service would regularly visit fire stations around the county, and would welcome any other councillors who wished to attend.  Members were encouraged to visit their local fire stations to strengthen the link between the fire station and the community.

Questions pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 10.3 were asked and answered as follows:

A report by the Monitoring Officer had been circulated.

It was moved, seconded and

RESOLVED

            That the election of Miss Alexandra Eloise Inkley Sayer as Parent Governor Representative on the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee and the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board be noted.

A report by the County Commissioner for Economy and Place had been circulated.

It was moved, seconded and unanimously

RESOLVED

          That the County Council formally adopt the proposed Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS), as set out in Appendix A to the report, to take effect at such time as all the Waste Collection Authorities in Lincolnshire had adopted the document in the same form.

A report by the Chief Legal Officer and Monitoring Officer had been circulated.

It was moved, seconded and

RESOLVED

That the Council, with immediate effect:-

1.    Designate the Executive Director of Children's Services as the Council's Head of Paid Service;

2.    Appoint Debbie Barnes OBE, the Executive Director of Children's Services as the Returning Officer for County Council Elections; and

3.    Approves the amendments to the Constitution attached at Appendix A to the report.

As an amendment to the motion had been received, it was proposed, seconded and agreed that the Council Procedure Rules be temporarily suspended to allow for one debate to take place.

Motion by Councillor R B Parker

It was moved and seconded that:

We note that many council budgets up and down the country are now at Breaking Point. 'Austerity' has caused damage to communities up and down the UK including here in Lincolnshire, with obvious negative effects on key public services that should protect and enhance the lives of a whole range of local people.  In short, council services or support to local organisations which were a part of life have been abandoned or reduced and communities have suffered.

According to figures produced by our own County Treasurer's Department, in 2011/12 Lincolnshire County Council received £211m in government support through the revenue support grant.

Each subsequent year the level of grant received has fallen and in the current year, 2018/19, we received £34m.

During this eight-year period the County Council has lost a cumulative total of £962m compared to what we would have received if the 2011/12 revenue support grant levels had been maintained and inflated each year.

The Government have, however, given the Council some additional funding for Better Care Fund, New Homes Bonus, Rural Services Delivery Grant and Council Tax Freeze grant, this additional support totals £217m over the same period of time. Therefore the Council has in effect lost £745m that could have been spent on services or reduced the increase in council tax. This is an average reduction of £93m per year.

Not only have we had this reduction in government funding we have also had to fund a number of unavoidable cost pressures, therefore, the Council has had to implement a number of strategies to bridge the gap. Council tax has been increased since 2015/16, savings/reductions have been made to budgets totalling £311m over the eight years and we have had to use our reserves, £117m, where these weren't enough.

That is what Austerity has meant to Lincolnshire people and no services have been left untouched whether Adults, Children, Highways, Heritage or Fire Services.

Councils across the country now face a further funding gap of £7.8 billion by 2025 just to keep services ‘standing still’ and meeting additional demand. In particular, adult social care as a result of an ageing population and growing demand faces a gap of £3.5 billion. Lord Gary Porter, the Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association, has said ‘‘Councils can no longer be expected to run our vital local services on a shoestring’

Given that reality, we challenge the comments of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss for stating on BBC Newsnight on 1^st October 2018 that the government is “not making cuts to local authorities”, when all independent assessments of government spending show that this is false; and we also challenge the claims of the Prime Minister Theresa May  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.