Agenda item

(To receive a report from Samantha Harrison, Head of Economic Development, Chris Miller, Head of Environment, and Chris Yorston, Head of Waste, which enables the Committee to comment on 2023-24 Quarter 4 performance for Economy, Flooding and Waste)

Consideration was given to a report from the Head of Economic Development, Head of Environment and the Head of Waste which enabled the Committee to comment on 2023-24 Quarter 3 Performance for Economy, Flooding and Waste. The following matters were reported:

Economic Development

PI 69 Businesses Supported by the Council

·         1529 businesses were supported this quarter which exceeded the target of 1,154. This was attributed to a myriad of extensive programmes offered through the Lincolnshire Growth Hub, as well as low carbon supported digitalisation and scale up programmes.

·         The Made Smarter industrial digitalisation programme had extended its support to micro businesses.

·         The Multiply adult education programme had contributed to success in this Performance Indicator (PI), and a grant was now available for Multiply Champions.

PI 70 Qualifications received by adults

·         1376 qualifications were achieved by adults this quarter which exceeded the target of 900; this was partly attributed to multiple qualifications attached within a single course.

PI 71 Amount of external funding attracted to Lincolnshire

·         This measure achieved £9,878,598 which exceeded the target of £7,643,791.

·         Funding from DBT had contributed towards the performance of this measure, and it was assured that the Council continued to work alongside District Councils to deliver business support via UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF).

Flooding

PI 72 Flooding Incidents Investigated

·         There was no target set for this PI.

·         The Head of Environment informed the Committee that the current cohort included October 2023 where Storm Babet had led to 723 properties to be internally flooded, and 504 suffered external flooding. 185 Section 19 Investigations (S19s) were commenced in Quarter 3 on the 723 properties that reported internal flooding.

·         The statistics pertaining to Storm Henk would be included in the Quarter 4 report.

·         Three external consultants had been commissioned to support the Flood and Water Team with the outstanding S19s, and aimed for them to be concluded by the end of August 2024.

Members noted the performance report for Flooding, and raised the following matters:

·         Many of the historic S19s included in the report were almost completed, however the severity of Storm Babet had prevented them from sign-off.

·         Members highlighted that near-misses negatively impacted residents and businesses; the Head of Waste echoed these sentiments and highlighted that a S19 could be actioned for a near-miss.

·         S19s could include, and were not limited to, residential buildings, businesses, schools, and large masses of land.

·         Once S19s had been completed, the information was circulated to other risk management authorities, the Environment Agency, Internal Drainage Boards and Highways colleagues where necessary. This helped determine patterns and ascertain clusters of flooding before maintenance work was initiated.

·         The Committee expressed its gratitude towards the Flood and Water Team for their hard work following recent storm events.

Waste

PI 161 Household waste collected (kilograms per household)

·         This measure achieved 39% which fell below the target of 50%; this was welcomed as waste minimisation was the highest objective of the waste hierarchy.

·         Members considered the extent to which economic hardship exacerbated throwaway culture.

PI 76 Recycling at County Council owned Household Waste Recycling Centres

·         This measure achieved 72.9% which fell slightly below the target of 75% for this quarter. This was attributed to seasonal factors which led to less green waste in winter months.

·         Members raised questions in regard to the new recycling contract and its impact on performance. The Head of Waste informed the Committee that the Council was working well with the new contractors and were exploring ideas about reusing good quality waste presented at certain waste sites.

PI 162 Household waste to landfill

·         This measure achieved 0.31% which fell well below the annual target of 5%; resultantly the Head of Waste expressed his thanks to officers for their work in diverting waste from landfill where possible.

·         Members questioned whether this target could be reduced and were subsequently informed that national recycling rates plateaued at 40-42%. There were multiple government schemes currently in consultation as there was a national recognition that progress in this area had stalled.

·         The Council was the Waste Disposal Authority, and it was noted that the Waste Collection Authorities may be better placed to influence consumers to dispose of less.

·         It would be necessary to liaise with manufacturers to manage consumer expectations regarding waste.

·         This measure was complex to benchmark as other authorities varied on how they disposed of their waste which rendered meaningful comparisons difficult.

·         Members explored whether they maintained a role to inform the public on disposal.

·         The Committee agreed in principle to a site visit to the Lincolnshire Energy from Waste Plant.

RESOLVED

1.      That the Committee receives the report and its satisfaction be recorded in relation to performance achieved and assurances provided by Officers.

2.      That the comments from the discussion of the performance indicators presented be forwarded to relevant officers and portfolio holders for their information and consideration.