Agenda, decisions and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor M J Hill OBE.

Apologies for absence were also received from Andy Gutherson, Executive Director – Place.

There were no declarations of interest at this point in the meeting.

The Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health welcomed Martin Samuels, Executive Director for Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, to the meeting and advised that he came into post on 1 November 2023.

The Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment, Planning provided an update on the flooding following Storm Babet, which had been a major event for Lincolnshire.  It was confirmed that 583 properties in Lincolnshire had been flooded internally, including four school sites.  There had also been hundreds of near misses.  It had been a substantial event and would place enormous pressure on the authority’s S19 work.  It was likely that this was not the final number of flooded properties and there was still flooding in various parts of the county which had been causing local issues.  It was expected that it would take a considerable amount of time to resolve some of those issues.  It was noted that it was likely to be a challenging winter and it was hoped that there would be no further similar events as the ground was already saturated.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2023 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(To receive a report by the Executive Director – Place, which sets out the proposed extension options to the three main highways delivery contracts Highways Works, Professional Services and Traffic Signals.  The Executive are invited to consider for approval the proposed extensions recommended within the report and commence re-procurement for one of the three main contracts)

1.    That the progress made and the outcome of the contract refresh procedure be noted.

2.    That the proposed extension of the Highways Works contract with Balfour Beatty, to increase the contract duration to the 31 March 2032 by offering an additional 6 year term on the revised terms outlined within the report, be approved.

3.    That the proposed extension of the Professional Services contract with WSP, to increase the contract duration to the 31 March 2028 by offering an additional 2 year term, be approved.

4.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director – Place, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT, to take all decisions and enter into all documentation necessary to give effect to the extensions referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 above.

5.    That the re-procurement of the Traffic Signals Contract to commence on 1 April 2026, be approved.

6.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director – Place, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT, to take all decisions necessary to progress the procurement of the replacement arrangements referred to in paragraph 5 above, to include choice of procurement procedure, scope of the services and the terms of all necessary legal documentation and to approve the final form and the entering into of all contracts and other legal documentation necessary to give effect to the replacement contract.

The Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT introduced a report which set out the proposed extension options to the three main highways delivery contracts – Highways Works, Professional Services and Traffic Signals which delivered the majority of works undertaken by the Highways Service for Lincolnshire County Council.

The Head of Highways Client and Contractual Management Services guided the Executive through the report and explained the main areas of focus for each of the three contracts as well as the efficiency initiatives and the contract refresh process.

Councillor A M Hall, Vice Chairman of the Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee was in attendance via Microsoft Teams to present the comments of the Committee following its consideration of this item at its meeting on 30 October 2023.  The Committee had unanimously agreed to support the recommendations to the Executive.  During consideration of the report, members had raised concerns about the lack of apprenticeships for local residents and young people in high-volume contracts and suggested that contracts of this size should provide a more significant number of apprenticeship opportunities.

The Committee also sought clarity around the budget pressures of £1,785,987 and regarding the potential costs associated with not renewing the traffic signals term contract and opting for a new contract.

During discussion by the Executive, the following was noted:

·       This approach was supported and it was commented that it would address the challenges that would be faced over the duration of the contract.

·       Further information was sought regarding apprenticeships and the number of care leavers on contract.  Officers advised that there were a number of social value commitments within the contract.  There were 12 apprentices and two care leavers working on the Balfour Beatty and WSP contracts, out of the two care leavers, one has now been employed on a permanent basis and the other carried out a work experience placement.  WSP also mentored care leavers who were looking to secure employment.

·       Clarification was sought regarding the 45-hour working as part of the Balfour Beatty efficiency initiatives and whether that meant a change of contracts for existing staff and if any issues with retaining staff were expected.  Officers advised that the required processes had been carried out and across the company there was a variety of different terms and conditions for staff.  The new hours would apply to new staff joining the company.  This, in time, would help improve the consistency of the terms and conditions across the workforce so that it would be standardised by 2032.  Existing employees had also been offered the option to transfer to the new contract.  It was also noted that steps were being taken to ensure that staff who had similar working hours were working together to maximise efficiency.

RESOLVED

1.    That the progress made and the outcome of the contract refresh procedure be noted.

2.    That the proposed extension of the Highways Works contract with Balfour Beatty, to increase the contract duration to the 31 March 2032 by offering an additional 6 year term on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

(To receive a report by the Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing which invites the Executive to consider future funding for Citizens Advice in Lincolnshire)

1.    That the issue of a new Grant Funding Agreement with Citizens Advice Lincolnshire to continue the Citizens Advice Services across Lincolnshire for a further period of three years between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2027 be approved, commencing at a value of £295,236 from 1 April 2024 and increasing annually in line with the National Living Wage.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for NHS Liaison, Integrated Care System, Registration and Coroners, to determine the final form and the entering into of the Grant Agreement.

3.    That the proposal to continue work with Lincolnshire’s District Councils to develop a countywide collaborative and jointly funded approach to funding Citizens Advice Services across Lincolnshire following the conclusion of the proposed 3-year agreement, be approved.

The Executive Councillor for NHS Liaison, Integrated Care System, Registration and Coroners introduced a report which detailed the outcomes of a comprehensive review of Citizens Advice in Lincolnshire carried out by Adult Care and Community Wellbeing in conjunction with district council and NHS partners.  Options for future funding mechanisms were also explored with the Commercial Team, People Services and Legal Services.

The Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing guided the Executive through the report and explained the complex picture and influencing factors which were revealed by the review.  These included that there were three different Citizens Advice branches within Lincolnshire which were delivering advice and support. Each was a separately constituted charity.  Citizens Advice Lincolnshire (CAL) was the overarching charity formed to facilitate co-operation between the Lincolnshire branches and received the grant funding from Lincolnshire County Council.  It was also highlighted that there were multiple funders with different funding arrangements including district councils.  The core funding provided by LCC and the districts enabled CAL to generate further funding, the majority of which was restricted to specific projects which allowed CAL to provide a wider range of services for the benefits of residents.  The Executive was also advised that generally these services were performing well across the county.

Councillor N H Pepper, Chairman of the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee was in attendance to present the comments of the Committee following its consideration of this report at its meeting on 31 October 2023 where it unanimously agreed to support the recommendations to the Executive.  During discussion the Committee raised queries around the grant funding agreement and supported the continuation of the funding and the recommendation to move to a three-year grant funding agreement with annual increases in line with the National Living Wage. Disappointment was expressed that the level of funding would only increase by £17,236 on 1 April 2024, however it was noted that this reflected the 6.2% increase in the National Living Wage, and it was also highlighted that Lincolnshire County Council was one of a number of funders of the Citizens Advice Service in Lincolnshire. 

The Executive was fully supportive of this report and it was noted that this was a service which was needed at this time, as there were a lot of people who were struggling financially.  This was a good service which was valued by residents and one which had been struggling since the pandemic to recruit volunteers.

RESOLVED

1.    That the issue of a new Grant Funding Agreement with Citizens Advice Lincolnshire to continue the Citizens Advice Services across Lincolnshire for a further period of three years between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2027 be approved, commencing at a value of £295,236 from 1 April 2024 and increasing annually in line with the National Living Wage.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for NHS Liaison, Integrated Care System, Registration and Coroners, to determine the final  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.