Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Mrs P Bradwell, Deputy Leader of Lincolnshire County Council.

No declarations of interest were made at the meeting.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Greater Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Oversight Committee held on 11 March 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

(To receive a report from the Executive Director - Place, Lincolnshire County Council)

The Joint Committee gave consideration to a report of the Executive Director – Place from Lincolnshire County Council updating on progress for the development of the Greater Lincolnshire 2050 Vision.  During Mr Gutherson’s presentation he highlighted the initial findings from research undertaken and included the analysis from a collaborative workshop which had taken place involving a number of stakeholders from the wider public sector and Small Medium Enterprise (SME) representatives.

He made particular mention of the increase in population growth within the wider county area, seeing acceleration at 30% faster than the national benchmark.  The Greater Lincolnshire economy was strong with a contribution to the national figures of £16b with a significant role in seafood supply and energy production.

The workshops saw a particular need to focus on quality of life for residents - retaining the unique charm of the county whilst enhancing infrastructure to support the economy.

The feedback received has fed into the development of a publication setting out a set of missions and priorities for the county divided into thematic groups and highlighting areas which require a greater focus going forward.

The Joint Committee welcomed Mr Gutherson’s report and considered the findings.

RESOLVED that:

1)    the ongoing development of the 2050 Vision for Greater Lincolnshire be supported; and

2)    the progress made to date be noted.

(To receive a report by the Deputy Chief Executive, North Lincolnshire Council)

The Joint Committee considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive of North Lincolnshire Council updating of the work being undertaken on the Devolution initiative.

It was noted that the Government’s preferred model of Devolution was one with a directly elected leader covering a well-defined economic geography, however their framework permitted areas to pursue devolution without unanimous agreement across all area authorities.  

Work was underway to determine the best route forward for possible devolved powers to a ‘Greater Lincolnshire’.  Events had been hosted consisting of all 10 Local Authority Leaders and Chief Executives to gauge views and opinions as well as engagement with local businesses to understand their desire for a potential devolution model.

It was reported that skills development and infrastructure enhancement were being considered through established county-wide groups, and these work strands, alongside investment models, were being monitored through weekly meetings held with upper-tier officers.

The Joint Committee noted that a draft devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire would be ready for consultation by early Winter 2022.

RESOLVED that:

1)    The work being undertaken, as set out in the circulated report, be noted; and

2)    the proposed timescales on the various work strands and draft county deal be noted.

(To receive a report by the Executive Director - Place, Lincolnshire County Council)

The Environment Act 2021 introduced a new system of spatial strategies for nature entitled Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) which are aimed to create a network of shared plans that all sectors will work collaboratively together to deliver.

It was reported that Lincolnshire County Council had been designated as the responsible authority for the LNRS which covered the geographic area represented by Greater Lincolnshire and that they would undertake to work in partnership with district colleagues and partner organisations to deliver this work.

Whilst further guidance from DEFRA was still awaited, Seed funding of just over £16k had been provided to enable the partnership to begin the development process including governance arrangements.  A steering group was required to tackle issues such as managing the balance between environmental and investment factors, and assurance was offered by officers that neither element would be unduly constrained.

The Joint Committee wished to ensure that the collective landmass was utilised to strategic effect, and officers undertook to consider this matter through the steering group taking account of all existing assets.  In addition, thought was required around strategic vision planning across the Greater Lincolnshire geographical area including elements such as carbon offset and renewables and a position statement was requested for consideration at a future meeting for discussion with the Committee’s constituent members.

As part of the collaborative approach discussions were requested with Lincolnshire’s districts around their Local Plans with a particular focus on housing allocations.

RESOLVED that:

1)    the proposed approach be supported assigning LCC as the responsible authority for the Greater Lincolnshire LNRS;

2)    the three authorities work collaboratively with the GLNP to develop the strategy;

3)    whilst awaiting DEFRA guidance, the partnership be authorised to commence development of the LNRS and undertake the following actions;

·       scope governance arrangements, including terms of reference between LCC, NLC, NELC and the GLNP;

·       establish a core LNRS Task group from Local Authority officers, Natural England, GLNP, and key partner organisations.

·       identify additional works that will be required, gaps in skills / knowledge and work with Natural England to address these;

·       identify additional key stakeholders; and

·       raise awareness of the LNRS with Local Authority officers, politicians, GLNP partners and potential additional stakeholders, to develop shared understanding of the purpose of LNRS.

(To receive a report from the Executive Director - Place, Lincolnshire County Council)

At a previous meeting of the JSOC in Autumn 2021, the Joint Committee had agreed that collaboration on tourism in the Greater Lincolnshire area should be a priority in order to reinvigorate the tourism sector following the effects of the Pandemic.

The redevelopment of the Visit Lincolnshire website had promoted greater activity on the site with a 20% conversion rate from viewing through to booking a visitor attraction. A newly developed Lincolnshire Coastal Bird Trail had been developed and was also now available on vls.com.

Work is progressing on a strategy for business tourism, however a further strand of collaboration was to commence based around the opportunities that business tourism could bring the County.  It was noted that some businesses were still in ‘survival mode’ following the pandemic, and that the strategy would include sharing new skills and offering tools and contacts to assist businesses in securing incentive tourism opportunities.

The Joint Committee noted that no further resource was required to further the current collaboration.

RESOLVED that:

1)    the progress in tourism promotion be noted;

2)    the progress of the tourism business strategy be noted; and

3)    officers are supported in implementing and delivering a business tourism programme.

(To receive a report from the Executive Director - Place, Lincolnshire County Council)

Consideration was given to a report of the Executive Director – Place from Lincolnshire County Council in relation to a collaborative project aimed to instal broadband equipment on publicly owned assets.  ‘Project Gigahub’ was fully funded through a BDUK Government Grant and the three Local Authorities had identified more than 200 potential sites and gained approval for their eligibility.

A tender process to identify potential commercial operators would commence in the Autumn with a view to appoint a successful provider in Spring 2023.  It was noted that LCC would be leading on the project and the collective resource was deemed sufficient.

RESOLVED that:

1)    the governance arrangements as reported are approved; and

2)    the proposals for the next stage of the project be progressed.

(To receive a report by the Director of Public Health)

Derek Ward, Director of Public Health, joined the meeting remotely to update the Joint Committee on the Greater Lincolnshire Public Health Pilot, which was in its fifth month of delivering single management of the public health function across Greater Lincolnshire to share knowledge and create efficiencies.

The public health functions of the three constituent authorities were working closely together to agree a set of core principles to focus on during the pilot and where closer and joined up working would benefit the people of the wider county area.  The three teams were working well together and potential benefits and opportunities were being realised.

Management capacity was pushed, particularly in relation to supporting governance matters and the two different Integrated Care Boards and Partnerships.  The Director was hopeful that the capacity concerns would stabilise in the coming months as service resilience improved in line with its projected trajectory. Recruitment was underway for two Public Health Consultants to work across Greater Lincolnshire for the duration of the pilot and these positions would eventually transition into permanent roles.

The Joint Committee acknowledged the challenges and progress made to date with the pilot whilst noting its current successes and efficiencies.

RESOLVED that the content of the report and progress made on the Greater Lincolnshire Public Health Pilot be noted.

(To receive a verbal update on the Lincolnshire Show and look ahead to Lincolnshire Day)

Karen Spencer, Head of Communications at LCC, attended the meeting to update partner authorities on the success of the Lincolnshire Show (22/23 June 2022) and to open conversations about the arrangements for Lincolnshire Day in October.

She advised that the agreed branding of ‘One Lincolnshire: Think Bigger’ was utilised fully throughout the event, alongside celebrating HM Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. There were a number of exhibits that were very well attended, along with a Corporate Tent (sponsored by Serco) which was utilised to host a session on Devolution and the Good Citizen and Adult Learning Awards. Overall, the exhibits were of a very high standard winning the prize for the best stand at the Show.

A ’Meet Your Councillor’ marquee was set up as in previous years encouraging the public to engage with elected members.  Member attendance for LCC operated without a rota, and it was advised that this would be revisited for the 2023 Show.

The Joint Committee were informed that the Wi-Fi access was not delivered as arranged with Lincolnshire Showground, however this was the one of only a small number of issues that arose for resolution. The response from the Joint Committee was very positive and an intention was set to continue with a joint approach for the 2023 Lincolnshire Show.

As Lincolnshire Day (1 October) was to fall on a Saturday, it was agreed that the celebration event would take place on Friday 30September in order to accommodate MPs arriving back to their constituencies from Parliament. The event would take place at Lincoln Castle with an opportunity to utilise the Victorian Prison if deemed appropriate. The Castle grounds would be dressed in Lincolnshire flags and goodie bags would be created for the first 500 visitors. Devolution discussions would be arranged to take place following the event. 

RESOLVED that:

1)    The success of the recent Lincolnshire Show be noted; and

2)    the three authorities continue joint working towards both the forthcoming Lincolnshire Day celebrations and the 2023 Lincolnshire Show.