Agenda and minutes

It was reported that, under regulation 13 of the Local Government Committee and Political Groups Regulation 1990, Councillor N Sear replaced Councillor H Spratt for this meeting.

There were no interests declared at this point in proceedings.

RESOLVED

That the minutes from the last meeting on 28 February 2023 are approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Chairman informed Members that the inaugural meeting for the Motorhomes and Campervans Working Group was held on 8 March and was exploring the potential to enhance the current proposition for motor home tourism in Lincolnshire given the significant economic incentive to appeal to this market segment. The second meeting was anticipated at the end of April to explore evidence and outcomes from tourist operators and key contributors within the sector. The report outlining the outcomes and recommendations from the Group was to be considered by the Committee on 30^th May.

The Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Planning made the following announcements:

·   The trading position of businesses was improving nationally and locally; 60% of local businesses felt confident they would reach financial targets.

·       The Lincolnshire Growth Hub continued to support to local businesses. The initial six months of the Made Smarter Industrial Digitisation programme for manufacturers was completed by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) on behalf of the East Midlands Cluster, and interest had been registered from a range of small to medium enterprises (SME) manufacturers in Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire.

·       The Tourism and Countryside teams were updating the walking activities page on the Visit Lincolnshire website; new features would be launched in April, and there would be a large promotional campaign in May to celebrate Walking Month.

·       Economic Development officers were working with ten Local Authorities on behalf of the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub and had agreed a funding package to continue the delivery of a ‘UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) shared service Growth Hub model’ which would be available to all businesses in Greater Lincolnshire. From 1^st May, new enquiries would be supported under the UKSPF arrangements, not European funding.

·       A four-week consultation process was underway following the announcement that the government was consulting on transferring responsibilities for local economic development from Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to local authorities from April 2024. An updated policy decision was expected by summer, and it was assured that until any devolution deal was implemented in Lincolnshire the role of the LEP would not change.

Members noted the announcements, and the following comments were raised:

·   Members were cautiously optimistic about the growth of the local economy and welcomed that recession was avoided this quarter.

·   A response to the announced plans for Scampton would be circulated by the relevant Portfolio Holder upon Members’ request.

The Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Funding highlighted further engagement was required with authorities that had not opted into the UKSPF to avoid insufficient service quality in certain areas of the county.

(To receive an update from Justin Brown, Assistant Director – Growth, on developments at the former Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal and the workings of the Community Partnership)

The Committee received a report from Justin Brown, Assistant Director – Growth, on developments at the former Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal and the workings of the Community Partnership. At this point in proceedings, the Chairman highlighted that Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) was not the decision-making body regarding Theddlethorpe, but rather the residents; the Council engaged with the working group to support in providing advice on how to ask appropriate questions and communicate opinions effectively.

It was reported that:

·       Four meetings had been held so far and the Terms of Reference focused on providing all possible information about the facility to residents.

·       The Community Investment Fund would provide an annual budget of £1 million and was open for community groups, businesses, and schools to apply to. The formation of a subgroup of the Community Partnership was anticipated with an expectation of the first decisions on bids to be made in late June 2023.

·       Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) had facilitated over 30 engagement events, and multiple drop-in events in Mablethorpe for residents.

·       Engagement events helped identify that some residents opposed the proposal and others were optimistic; LCC was keen to ensure contrasting views were adequately represented.

·       LCC was identifying potential for significant additional infrastructure activity on flood prevention, transport provision and environmental considerations. The government was required to invest in such infrastructure under policy relating to geological disposal facilities.

·       The Planning and Regulation Committee had received a report from Harbour Energy which noted its interest in the site as part of their Humber Carbon Capture Initiative. Other investors had discussed the site with National Grid on a confidential basis.

·       NWS reported that the geological facility would create 4000 jobs, and LCC had subsequently requested that a more localised report be produced assessing skills, skills provision and the availability of labour in the area.

·       LCC believed it was important to view the ongoing situation as fluid and explore opportunities for locality and inward investment, as well as acknowledging risks.

·       The UK Atomic Energy Authority had confirmed that a Tokamak fusion facility would be in West Burton, Nottinghamshire, near Gainsborough. This proposal did not yet involve the same detailed analysis of job opportunities as NWS, but similarities had been observed in terms of the scale of investment, effects on infrastructure and the local economy, training provision and environmental impact. Sponsors of the programme in West Burton had been invited to brief Council in Summer 2023.

During consideration of the report, the following comments were noted:

·       The Community Investment Fund would have a significant impact on a small area such as Theddlethorpe.

·       Members questioned whether the Community Investment Fund annual grant of £1 million would continue despite the absence of matched funding. The Assistant Director – Growth explained that there was no requirement for any project to have matched funding to apply for the grant; projects could be prioritised if they had received matched funding, however outcomes and benefits were the main determination.

·       The questionnaire circulated to residents of Theddlethorpe had highlighted that they felt as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

(To receive an interim report from Mick King, Head of Economic Infrastructure, and Johanna Rhoades, Project Officer – Utilities on Energy Options Analysis for Greater Lincolnshire)

The Committee received an interim report from Mick King, Head of Economic Infrastructure on Energy Options Analysis for Greater Lincolnshire. The following matters were reported:

·       The Greater Lincolnshire Infrastructure Group (IG) commissioned a report from Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) to respond to four Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) and assessed the ability of the energy approach identified to meet the demand from growth immediately and over the next 20 years.

·       The Committee’s comments would be forwarded to the consultants before 12 April 2023 to be considered in the final report which would be issued in May and would be considered by the Committee on 11 July 2023.

·       A plan of action would be produced after the publication of the final report to ensure benefits were optimized for residents and businesses across Lincolnshire.

·       LCC had developed a good working relationship with National Grid Energy Distribution and Northern Power Grid through understanding short, medium, and long-term growth priorities in Lincolnshire.

The findings of the interim report were summarised as:

1.     There was a clear shift towards innovation and alternative energy sources across the county.

2.     Net zero was a common theme across all sectors and was demonstrated through the shift in energy providers and increase in private investment.

3.     There was inconsistent collaboration across Lincolnshire.

During consideration of the report, the following comments were highlighted:

·       The role of solar energy was not discussed in the interim report, and it focused on the impact of growth in the short and medium term. It was assured that solar energy would be detailed in the Final Report, and multiple applications for solar energy were received by the Council.

·       Consideration of offshore energy facilities would be included in the final report.

·       The Central Lincolnshire Joint Local Plan (which involved North Kesteven, City of Lincoln and West Lindsey) received a planning inspectorate update which allowed districts to strongly encourage the provision of renewable energy in all new houses; all local planning authorities would receive this option.

·       The report noted that two housing site opportunities would be scoped in Greater Lincolnshire to facilitate a collaborative approach which strongly delivered commercially viable net zero carbon emission development. There were numerous sustainable urban extensions (SUEs) in the county, and developments that were early in the planning process could incorporate SUEs.

·       Members raised questions about the capacity of the power grid and limits to infrastructure, and the Head of Economic Infrastructure assured that maps had been produced on the supply and demand of the grid and were well received. Additionally, grid capacity would be a key outcome explored in the final report.

·       The Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Planning welcomed LCCs commitment to net zero, and noted numerous applications had been received to develop solar farms and other renewable energy projects across Lincolnshire. He encouraged similar developments in the south of England too.

·       The cost of the commissioned work from RLB, which was funded by all ten local authorities across Lincolnshire, may be commercially sensitive if disclosed, consequently the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

(To receive a report from Mike Reed, Head of Waste, on the various Waste Engagement Initiatives in Lincolnshire and their impact)

The Committee received a report from Rachel Stamp, Waste Partnership and Projects Manager, on the various public engagement initiatives for waste in Lincolnshire. It was reported that:

·       The Environment Act was anticipated to lead to the most prominent changes in the service for decades.

·       The service was working closely with the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership (LWP) to prioritise the waste hierarchy and fulfil objectives of waste management strategies.

·       The twin-stream rollout of paper and card collection demonstrated that the public were willing to adapt their behaviour and that waste engagement initiatives changed perceptions of waste disposal.

·       Daily partnership working with waste collection authorities (WCAs) was vital to the success of engagement initiatives.

·       The community and schools programme ‘Let’s Talk Rubbish’ was successful, and involved presentations, talks and activities highlighting the importance of the waste hierarchy and encouraged people to change their behaviour towards waste disposal.  Over 30 schools and 600 children had engaged with the programme; a further 23 schools had signed up for this year.

·       The service continued to deliver lectures to Geography students at the University of Lincoln on Waste Management in Lincolnshire. Additionally, a student placement was being hosted for year two of the geography undergraduate degree.

During consideration of the report, the following comments were noted:

·       Members raised that there were some inaccuracies in the information circulated by the Spalding Recycling Centre twitter account. Assurance was provided that the service would be informed, and that updates would be accurate moving forward.

·       The collaborative work with University of Lincoln was welcomed, and it was assured that the initiative would extend elsewhere in the county given its success.

RESOLVED

1.     That the Committee reviews the contents of the report

2.     That the Committee is assured that action is being taken that allows Lincolnshire County Council to adhere to its statutory obligations as a Waste Disposal Authority and continues to improve the efficiency of the service.

3.     That comments captured be passed on to relevant Officers.

(To receive a report from Mike Reed, Head of Waste, updating the Committee on the impact of the twin-stream paper and card waste collection project which has been introduced in four districts in Lincolnshire)

The Committee received a report from Rachel Stamp, Waste Partnership and Projects Manager, which provided an update on the impact of the twin-stream paper and card waste collection project which was introduced in four districts across Lincolnshire. Nicole Hilton, Assistant Director – Communities, was in attendance remotely for this item. It was reported that:

·       The initiative was trialed in 2019 and formally implemented in 2021. It intended to separate, and subsequently improve, the quality of recycling materials.

·       Four Waste Collection Authorities (WCAs) had adopted the scheme – Boston Borough North Kesteven, West Lindsey and East Lindsey.

·       Almost 14,000 tons of high-quality paper and card had been collected since the scheme’s implementation.

·       Paper and card were sent to a paper processing facility in King’s Lynn, which reported that LCC produced the highest quality waste of any authority; materials were recyclable up to seven times.

·       Contamination levels had reduced in the four WCAs from 32% to below 15%, and contamination of other recyclable materials such as metals, plastics and glass had also reduced to approximately 15%.

·       The initiative was supported by information from The Performance and Improvement Team, who continued to engage with residents.

·       Introducing the initiative to the three remaining waste authorities was expected once the four engaged authorities were stable within the scheme.

During consideration of the report, the following comments were noted:

·       Members suggested the scheme provided a solution to contaminated waste and welcomed the success of the initiative.

·       It was questioned whether food waste could be collected separately in the future, and the Waste and Projects Manager was confident this could occur once the impact of the Environment Act was realised. The Assistant Director – Communities expressed that lessons learnt from the twin-stream initiative would feed into a food collection program in the future.

·       It was noted that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) were involved with several national projects which would have to be in place before other local projects, like food collection, were introduced.

·       The twin-stream rollout was adopted on a case-by-case basis when it was suitable; all parties involved would have to be adequately prepared before extending the initiative to the three remaining WCAs. It was anticipated that all WCAs would have adopted the scheme by 2024/25, and the Assistant Director – Communities gave assurance that the scheme has been introduced as fast possible.

·       LCC communication strategy for the scheme were based on the direct experiences of residents.

·       Further detail on the potential new burdens funding for authorities impacted by the Environment Act were expected by Summer 2023. The new burdens funding for food waste collection was awarded to WCAs rather than waste disposal authorities (WDAs).

·       Members questioned whether the tonnage collected in each WCA was consistent, and were informed that indicative figures suggested a slight decrease. It was assured this trend was being analysed and further information would be circulated once completed, and that a reduction in tonnage was positive according to the waste hierarchy.

·       Differences in tonnage collected between WCAs  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

(To receive a report by Tracy Johnson, Senior Scrutiny Officer, which enables the Committee to comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year to ensure that scrutiny activity is focussed where it can be of greatest benefit)

Consideration was given to a report by Tracy Johnson, Senior Scrutiny Officer, which invited the Committee to consider and comment on the content of its own work programme for the year to ensure that scrutiny activity was focused where it can be of greatest benefit.

Since the publication of the agenda, the following two pre-decision had been added to the agenda for the meeting due to be held on 12^th September 2023:

·       A report on Waste Transfer Station Improvements

·       Food Waste Disposal Procurement.

The outcomes and recommendations from the reviews undertaken by Scrutiny Panels A - Town Centres Improvement and B – Agricultural Sector Support were scheduled for the 30May meeting, as well as the outcomes and recommendations from the Motorhomes and Campervans Working Group.

The report entitled Lincolnshire County Council Carbon Report 2022-2023, previously scheduled for May’s agenda was requested and approved to be rolled to a later agenda in Autumn 2023 to allow for reflection on the newest figures on Carbon production to be incurred over the summer period.

RESOLVED

1.     That the work programme, additional items highlighted and amendments identified, be approved.