Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors B Adams and Dr M E Thompson.

It was noted that the Chief Executive, having received notice under Regulation 13 of the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, had appointed Councillor S R Kirk as a replacement member of the Committee in place of the vacancy, until further notice.

It was advised that Councillor E J Poll (Executive Councillor for Commercial and Environmental Management) was due to arrive late at the meeting.

There were no declarations of Councillors' Interests at this point in the proceedings.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 17 July 2017 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Executive Councillor for Economy and Place advised that East Lindsey District Council had recently concluded their consultation on the future of Louth Livestock Market.  The Executive Councillor had recently visited the market, along with his Executive Support Councillor and the Vice-Chairman.  A response to the consultation had been submitted, indicating the Council's preference to retain the market on the existing site and using it as a catalyst to better promote Louth as a nationally recognised food town.

It was recognised that the problems associated with utility supply to the area, both to major developments and to individual businesses, were challenging for the County.  A Utility Summit had taken place on 18 July 2017, where the issues were discussed with decision makers from the utility companies.

The Executive Councillor cited the success of the Battles and Dynasties exhibition, which had seen more than 80,000 visitors and the Scampton Airshow with circa 50,000 visitors as examples of how Lincolnshire attracts visitors with its exciting events and tourism attractions. Further to this, it was highlighted that it was the official opening of Cross Keys Marina at Sutton Bridge on 13 September 2017. The Executive Councillor expressed his gratitude to Councillor C J T H Brewis, the local member, for his support with bringing the project to fruition.

On 15 September 2017, the Annual Manufacturing Conference which was organised by Lincolnshire County Council and several other partners was due to be held. It was noted that eight high profile speakers were due to tell manufacturers about their own business experiences and it was hoped this would stimulate some good business-to-business connections. 

It was noted that officers, the Executive Councillor and Executive Support Councillor continued to take forward the issues that were discussed by the Committee.  Senior level meetings had continued to take place with the Midlands Engine team to make the case for investment for Lincolnshire; work on ways of making the most of the assets the Council had on its heritage coast; and continued to promote opportunities in the Chinese market to local business.

The Committee was advised that the Council had recently been contacted by the Hunan Provincial Government in China with a request to identify environmental consultants in Lincolnshire, which had already led to a local business discussing a trade opportunity in Hunan.  It was noted that the Chairman of the Council and the Executive Support Councillor had recently met with senior trade promotion representatives from the Chinese Embassy.  The Executive Councillor was also looking forward to leading a delegation of Lincolnshire business experts to Hunan in October 2017, and the results of which would be reported back to the Committee.

(To receive a report by Steve Brookes (Lincolnshire Broadband Programme Manager), which invites the Committee to consider the work of the Lincolnshire Broadband Programme and highlight any comments for future consideration)

The Committee received a report and presentation from Steve Brookes (Lincolnshire Broadband Programme Manager), which provided a status update on the Lincolnshire broadband programme.

The presentation outlined the current status of the Lincolnshire Broadband Programme.  It detailed the number of premises that were fibre enabled; the levels of coverage achieved; and the latest financial position.  The presentation also outlined the current status of the Phase 2 contract, which aimed to take Superfast broadband coverage to 97% of all UK premises by the end of 2019. 

The timetable for Phase 3 was a start date of autumn 2017 and a finish date on December 2019. Phase 3 would provide faster broadband to over 9,000 additional premises across the county, of which 97% were in area designated 'Rural' or 'Very Rural'. 

Detailed information was provided as part of the presentation, which covered the following points: -

·    Current status;

·    Funding position;

·    Number of premises involved;

·    Timescales; and

·    The Future.

Members were provided with an opportunity to ask questions, where the following points were noted: -

·       The current Lincolnshire Broadband Programme comprised of two distinct projects, working under the existing BDUK (Government) Framework Contract and executed by BT;

·       Project one was completed on time and had met the key objectives, which were detailed within the report. It was also completed with an underspend of circa £14m.  In addition, customer take up was well in excess of projected (current take up was 44%, against a projected 20%), and under a clawback agreement in the contract, BT had made an advance payment of £4.65m;

·       Project 2 commenced on 1 April 2016 and the key objective for the project to push county-wide superfast coverage up to 95%, or as close as possible.  The project was currently ongoing, running ahead of schedule and was expected to complete ahead of time.  The project would deliver a further 7,000 fibre enabled premises under the original agreement when Phase 2 was signed;

·       An additional 17,000 premises had recently been added to Phase 2 and it was now expected that Phase 2 would complete on 31 December 2019, with 97% of all premises receiving Superfast broadband;

·       There were a number of subsidiary issues ongoing, which included the consideration of alternative technologies to deliver to the remaining 3%; and the programme was currently bidding for additional government funding to deliver more full fibre networks;

·       Mobile communications in terms of 3G, 4G and 5G coverage was currently outside of the scope of the programme;

·       The Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub was supporting businesses across Greater Lincolnshire to increase their use of digital technologies, including Superfast broadband.  A Councillor was assured that the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub was supporting a business local to Boston with their connectivity issues trying to seek a resolution;

·       The Lincolnshire Broadband Programme Manager advised that it was hoped that the issue where West Lindsey District was excluded from the work programme, would soon be resolved.

·         Any new development with 25 or more dwellings would have BT fibre  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

(To receive a report from Justin Brown (Commissioner for Economic Growth), which provides performance information for eleven performance indicators relating to the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee)

Consideration was given to a report by Justin Brown (Commissioner for Economic Growth) and David Hickman (Growth and Environment Commissioner), which invited the Committee to consider performance indicators and highlight any recommendations, changes or actions for consideration.

The report provided performance information for eleven performance indicators during quarter one for 2017/18, relating to the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee.  Members were advised that five of the indicators had not been met; four had been met with measured success; and two had not been met.

The two indicators that had not been met related to levels of recycling.  Issues relating to recycling had changed substantially since the figures were introduced in the 2008 Lincolnshire Waste Strategy.  Members were advised that the Lincolnshire Waste Strategy was due a refresh and would be presented to the Committee for consideration at a future meeting. It was noted that the indicators relating to waste could be changed as a result of the new Strategy.

Members were reminded that a new suite of performance indicators was in the process of being developed and would be presented to the Committee at a future meeting, for consideration.

The Committee was provided with an opportunity to ask questions on performance, where the following points were noted: -

·         Lincolnshire CO₂ reductions – the Committee questioned the value of this performance indicator, as there was a two year and three month delay in reporting of performance. Further to this, the Committee was advised that the information was collated by Government, analysed and reported, which was the cause of the delay;

·         A pilot scheme was due to commence in the East Lindsey District Council area in 2018, whereby residents would be invited to recycle food waste separately into the caddies provided.  The food waste would be collected and taken to the local anaerobic digestion facility. The purpose of the pilot was to increase capacity at the Energy from Waste Plant.  However, the implications of removing food waste from the Energy from Waste Plant were discussed.  Rutland County Council was cited as a possible example where this type of scheme had been piloted.  It was suggested that officers made contact with Rutland County Council to obtain information on their experience of the pilot;

·         It was hoped that a by-product of the pilot scheme in East Lindsey would be an increase in the purity of recyclables;

·         The importance of carefully managing power and water to ensure they were sustainable for the future was discussed.  It was noted that the Planning and Regulation Committee had recently received a presentation from West Burton Power on alternative sources of power.

RESOLVED

That the Quarter One performance for 2017/18 and the comments of the Committee be noted.

(To receive a report by Justin Brown (Commissioner for Economic Growth) and David Hickman (Growth and Environment Commissioner), which explains how Lincolnshire County Council is working with partners such as the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership on a joint water plan and explains some of the next steps)

Consideration was given to a report by Justin Brown (Commissioner for Economic Growth) and David Hickman (Growth and Environment Commissioner), which explained how Lincolnshire County Council was working with partners, such as the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP), on a joint water plan and explained some of the next steps.

The Growth and Environment Commissioner advised that Lincolnshire County Council and the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership had produced a Water Management Plan, which was attached at Appendix A to the report, which set out a way of tackling the challenge of providing water for effective economic growth.

Members were provided with an opportunity to ask questions, where the following points were noted: -

·       It was recognised that the East of England was already facing water shortages, the risk of which was projected to increase in future years owing to climate change; population growth; and abstraction reductions;

·       It was confirmed that Anglian Water was committed to the growth agenda.  However, it was difficult to drive this agenda forward without increasing its charges to customers to gain funding to reinvest, as the sector was heavily regulated by Ofwat;

·       Anglian Water had identified the need for additional storage capacity of approximately 50,000 mega litres to deliver the capacity expected for the near future.  This would equate to a new reservoir with approximately 40% of the capacity of Rutland Water, creating a circa £600m infrastructure project. The Committee recognised the benefits to growth should the reservoir be located within Lincolnshire;

·       It was reiterated that there was a need to carefully manage utilities, including power and water to ensure they were sustainable for the future;

·       Lincolnshire had been identified as an area that DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs); the Environment Agency; and other partners could work with on water management.  The County Council had therefore found funding for a time-limited piece of support, which would help to drive forward the water management plan in partnership with the GLLEP (Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership); and

·       A detailed report on Lincolnshire County Council's project activity for water management, with a particular emphasis on Water Resources East, would be presented to the Committee on 24 October 2017.

RESOLVED

(1)  That support be given to the Water Management Plan, as detailed at Appendix A, and to the list of next steps contained within the report.

(2)  That support be given to Lincolnshire County Council continuing to engage effectively with Water Resources East and other initiatives which will have a positive impact on Water Management in Lincolnshire.

(3)  That a report on Lincolnshire County Council's project activity for water management, with a particular emphasis on Water Resources East, be presented to the Committee on 24 October 2017.

(To receive a report by Justin Brown (Commissioner for Economic Growth), which invites the Committee to provide their views, comments, and contributions to the place marketing toolkit which will be demonstrated to them at the meeting)

A report by Justin Brown (Commissioner for Economic Growth) and Ruth Carver (Local Enterprise Partnership Commissioning Manager) was considered, which invited the Committee to provide their views, comments and contributions to help test and refine the place marketing toolkit.

The Committee was advised that the level of awareness of Lincolnshire appeared to be lower than was necessary to attract investment, employees, and visitors.  Lincolnshire County Council had been working with the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership to create tools which would help businesses to promote the area more effectively.  One of the tools, the place marketing toolkit (https://www.marketinglincolnshire.com), was now in its testing phase and a demonstration of the toolkit was provided to the Committee at the meeting.

The place marketing toolkit contained new video, photography, and quotes to tell the story of Lincolnshire, inspires, and raises the area's profile.  Once the place marketing toolkit became 'live' then business could use the collateral to help to promote the area in which they were located. It was hoped the toolkit would be launched by the end of October 2017.

The Committee was provided with an opportunity to ask questions where the following points were noted: -

·       The Committee was assured that the County Council would retain the moderation function, to ensure the content was appropriate;

·       All district councils had been actively involved in the development of the place marketing toolkit;

·       The benefits of the place marketing toolkit were discussed, where it was highlighted that it could be a key tool in aiding recruitment processes, particularly in the local NHS;

·       It was suggested that details of the place marketing toolkit was shared with all district council leaders to ensure that information was disseminated to all councillors; and

·       It was suggested that this promoted through the World Travel Market.

RESOLVED

That the Place Marketing Toolkit be supported and the Committee's comments taken forward.

NOTE: At this stage in the proceedings, Councillor E J Poll (Executive Councillor for Commercial and Environmental Management) entered the meeting.

(To receive a report by Paul Wheatley (Group Manager Economic Development), which invites the Committee to note and support the Commissioning Strategy and Activity Plan)

Consideration was given to a report and presentation by Paul Wheatley (Group Manager Economic Development), which invited the Committee to support and comment on the Commissioning Strategy and Activity Plan for 2017 to 2021, which was attached at Appendix A to the report.

The Committee was advised that the Commissioning Strategy and Activity Plan for 2017 to 2021 had both been prepared using consultancy research; consultation with the business community; and councillor workshops.  The newly commissioned Strategy particularly focused on: analysing the availability of current sites and premises; mapping patterns of demand; highlighting gaps in provision; and spotlighting market failure. The Strategy approached these issues from multiple perspectives, such as: simple geography; district by district; by Travel to Work Area; and by routes and corridors. The report summarised the findings of the research and a summary of the proposals.

Eight existing projects, currently being implemented, were identified to be completed by 2021 whilst 16 new projects were proposed to be initiated and pursued during the period.

Members were provided with an opportunity to ask questions, where the following points were noted: -

·       The Strategy and Activity Plan targeted significant growth and job creation particularly in sectors such as Engineering, Agri-food, Green Energy and the Visitor Economy;

·       A concern was raised by a Councillor that the lack of suitable highways infrastructure could limit where investments could be made and the availability of high speed broadband;

·       It was confirmed that corporate market research had been undertaken to identify the business requirements for the locations and types of hotel accommodation.   It was also highlighted that there was a need to facilitate the development of a new four star hotel for Lincoln.  The ways in which this information could be shared with hotel chains were discussed;

·       The Committee was advised that the Strategy and Activity Plan would evolve over the period of its lifetime, with additional projects potentially being taken forward; and

·       It was commented that there was a need to ensure the Economic Infrastructure Commissioning Strategy and Activity Plan 2017 to 2021 did not disadvantage certain areas of the county at the benefit of others.

RESOLVED

That the Economic Infrastructure Commissioning Strategy and Activity Plan 2017 to 2021 be supported and the comments of the Committee be noted.

(To receive a report by Daniel Steel (Scrutiny Officer), which invites the Committee to consider its work programme for the coming months)

Consideration was given to a report by Daniel Steel (Scrutiny Officer), which enabled the Committee to consider and comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year.

RESOLVED

That the Work Programme be approved, subject to the inclusion of any amendments made at the meeting.