Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room One, County Offices, Newland, Lincoln LN1 1YL

Contact: Emily Wilcox  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

48.

Apologies for absence/Replacement Members

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received by W J Aron.

49.

Declarations of Members' Interests

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

50.

Minutes of the previous meeting held on Tuesday 11th December 2018 pdf icon PDF 132 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

 

          That the minutes of the previous meeting held on Tuesday 11th          December 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed by the      chairman, subject to the below amendments:

 

·       Minute 45 – 'although it was anticipated that there would be a reduction in calls for 2018/19 due to the instruction of the Ambulance Response Programme', be amended to read: 'although it was anticipated that there would be a reduction in calls for 2018/19 due to the introduction of the Ambulance Response Programme'.

·       Minute 45 – 'Not all of the 4000K funding received from DCLG had been spent', be amended to read: 'not all of the 400K funding received from DCLG had been spent'.

 

51.

Announcements by the Chairman, Executive Councillors and Lead Officers

Minutes:

The Chairman extended the committee's thanks to Nick Borrill (Chief Fire Officer), for his service to the council and wished him a happy retirement. It was noted that Lez Britzman would take over as Acting Chief Fire Officer with effect from the end of 31 2019.

 

52.

Council Budget 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 163 KB

(To receive a report by Michelle Grady, Head of Finance – Communities, which describes the budget proposals for the next financial year based on the four year funding deal announced by Government as part of the 2016/17 Local Government Finance Settlement.  The report specifically looks at the budget implications for Community and Resilience & Assets; Protecting the Public; and Sustaining & Developing Prosperity through Infrastructure)

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report by Michelle Grady (Head of Finance – Communities), which set out the budget proposals for the 2019/20 financial year. The proposals would be presented to the Executive for consideration on 5 February 2019.

 

The report specifically focused on the budget implications for Community Resilience & Assets; Protecting the Public; and Sustaining & Developing Prosperity through Infrastructure (Heritage Services only).

 

The committee considered the proposals and agreed to put forward the following points to the Executive for consideration:

 

  • The Committee endorsed the proposed 2019/20 revenue and capital budget and supported the funding of the known cost pressures identified within the proposals.

 

  • The Committee welcomed the proposals to re-instate a budget to support the core services of the Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) (£0.278m), after the service received support by use of reserves during the last two years.

 

  • The Committee acknowledged the limited options available to continue to effectively fund services going forward. The Committee supported the proposed 4.95% increase in Council Tax and welcomed comments from officers that Lincolnshire would remain in the lowest quartile for Council Tax in the Country.

 

 RESOLVED:

 

          That the above comments, be passed on to the Executive for   consideration. 

 

53.

Future of the Heritage Service pdf icon PDF 127 KB

(To receive a report from Nicole Hilton, Chief Engagement Officer, which invites the committee to consider a report regarding the future of the Heritage Service. The report will be considered by the Executive on the 5 February 2019. The views of the Scrutiny Committee will be reported to the Executive as part of the consideration of this item)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report from the Chief Community Engagement Officer, which invited the committee to consider a report regarding the future of the Heritage Service. The report would be presented to the the Executive on the 5 February 2019.

 

The report sought the Executive's approval to conduct public consultation on the proposed changes to the Council's Heritage Services based on a move to a Cultural Enterprise Model.

 

Comments from the committee would be put forward to the Executive as part of its consideration of the report.

 

It was highlighted that changes in the heritage service would involve moving from a microsite to supersite approach, with the proposed supersites being Lincoln Castle and the collection Museum and Art Gallery. 

 

The Chief Community Engagement Officer also set out the proposed changes to the mix of sites that the Council would deliver as part of its heritage offer.

 

The committee supported the recommendations to conduct public consultation on proposed changes to the Council's Heritage service based on a move to a Cultural Enterprise Model and agreed to pass on the following comments to the Executive:

 

·         The Committee supported the proposals to conduct a consultation and seek ideas from the public on how the Heritage Service could develop in the future. The Committee highlighted that they were keen to ensure the public had the opportunity to comment and input into the proposals to help shape potential future developments.

 

·         The Committee queried the level of consultation which had taken place with the City of Lincoln Council over the proposed change of use for the Usher Art Gallery. Officers confirmed that they had kept local District Councils fully informed on the proposals, but highlighted that no agreements had been made due to the desire to undertake a public consultation prior to final proposals being approved.

 

·         The Committee acknowledge that whilst the provision of heritage services was not a statutory duty, these proposals identified a model which would enable continued public access to heritage, art and culture in a self-sustaining and affordable way. Officers confirmed that a change of model was required to enable a more aggressive commercial approach to continue to provide quality museums, galleries and attractions.

 

·         The Committee commented that the proposed changes were bold and ambitious and welcomed the commitment to develop a service which enables the broadest range of audiences to engage with a wide range of heritage experiences.

 

·         The Committee highlighted the need to work across the public and private sector to consider public transport as a key part of these proposals. The Committee identified accessibility to public transport as a key weakness for Lincolnshire when competing with other major tourist destinations across the UK. Officers confirmed additional work was required to review destination management options and the how the heritage offer could further promote Lincolnshire as a destination.

 

Councillor K J Clarke wished it to be noted that he voted against the recommendation to approve the public consultation on the grounds that the consultation questions had not yet been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

54.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services Report pdf icon PDF 237 KB

(To receive a report by Nick Borrill, Chief Fire Officer, which provides the Committee with an opportunity to consider the report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services which was published on 20 December 2018)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report by the Chief Fire Officer, which provided the committee with the results of the inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services Report (HMICFRS).

 

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue (LFR) had been inspected by HMICFRS in the summer of 2018 as part of a new independent inspection process.

 

LFR had received a positive report and had been graded 'Good' for how effective it was at keeping people safe from fire and other risks, and 'Good' for how efficiently it delivers the service. An action plan was being finalised to address the areas identified for improvement.

 

The service had been assessed as 'required improvement' in how well it looks after its people. This mainly related to concerns over the effectiveness of how it records training and monitoring systems. It was noted that LFR were already aware that there needed to be improvements made in these areas and they were in the process of implementing a new system to help improve the situation. Officers highlighted that there were only 3 services across the county that had been rated 'good' in this area and that the reports had recognised it as an issue nationally.

 

Members were informed that an action plan was currently being finalised to address the areas identified for improvement, and the final update would be brought to the committee in July 2019.

 

Members were invited to ask questions, in which the following points were raised:

 

·       The Chief Fire Officer explained that all LFR employees had the same access to wellbeing support that all County Council employees do.

·       Officers were confident that they had a balanced budget going forward.

·       The Executive Councillor for Culture and Emergency Services added that from a capital point of view, LFR was one of the best funded services nationally.

·       The Assistant Chief Fire Officer highlighted that there had been 2 new posts created which would help ensure that there were enough resources given to a priorities and risk-based inspection programme.

·       It was clarified that retained firefighters had an availability contract which generally managed within each station to ensure that the service was well maintained but firefighters had a balanced work/life schedule.

·       LFR had a very successful on-call service.

·       The Assistant Chief Fire Officer explained that they offered on-going support to all parties involved in any serious incidents, including employees of LFR. Officers acknowledged that mental health and wellbeing is a number one priority for all those involved in incidents.

·       Officers confirmed that the new competence recording system for recording training was due to be in place by mid-2019, rather than the end of 2018 as stated in the report.

·       It was confirmed that LFR had a grievance policy and procedure which was currently being renewed. Efforts would be made to communicate the policy to all employees and increase awareness of it.

·       Officers acknowledged the comments from firefighters that they felt disconnected from senior members of the service and were working to improve this. Due to the rural  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

55.

Stay Safe Partnership - resources to protect and safeguard Children and Young People pdf icon PDF 276 KB

(To receive a report by Sara Barry, Safer Communities Manager, which provides the Committee with an overview of the Stay Safe Project)

Minutes:

The committee received a report from the Safer Communities Manager which provided an overview of the Stay Safe project, its achievements to date and plans for the future.

 

The Stay Safe Partnership had been commissioned with the aim to establish a co-ordinated strategy in the delivery of preventative education in Lincolnshire schools and academies. 

 

The Safer Communities Manager set out the issues that had been identified; the key objectives to the project, as well as what was available to primary and secondary schools as part of the project.

 

The committee were invited to ask questions, in which the following points were noted:

 

·       Members commended the stay safe project.

·       It was noted any information disclosed during the workshops or as part of the stay safe project would be passed on to the safeguarding lead for that particular school if available. If there was no safeguarding lead, the school would deal with the issue appropriately. 

·       Members were informed that there was enough money in the Council's Reserves to fund the Stay Safe Programme for at least another two years.

·       Members felt that the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee should be informed of the stay safe programme in some way. It was agreed that the Scrutiny Officer and Safer Communities Manager would agree the best way to report to the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee about the Stay Safe Partnership.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.    That the report be noted.

 

2.    Those officers agree the most appropriate way to report to the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee about the Stay Safe Partnership.

 

56.

Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee Work Programme pdf icon PDF 284 KB

(To receive a report from Daniel Steel, Scrutiny Officer, which enables the Committee to consider and comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year to ensure that scrutiny activity is focused where it can be of greatest benefit)

 

 

Minutes:

Members were provided with an opportunity to review the committee's work programme for the following year.

 

It was noted that the Scrutiny Officer would amend the work programme to include a report from LFR on the action plan addressing issues raised from the HMICFRS Report for 23 July 2019.

 

It was agreed that information relating to false alarm fire calls would be included in the LFR Performance Annual report scheduled for 11 June 2019.

 

One member requested that the committee receive a report on Modern Day Slavery.

Officers suggested that it may be beneficial for there to be an all member briefing on Modern Day Slavery. Officers agreed to discuss and agree the best option going forward. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

            That the committee was satisfied with the proposed work programme.

 

 

 

 
 
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