Agenda item

The Chairman welcomed the students of Bishop Grosseteste University who were in attendance as observers to the meeting,  and highlighted the benefits of student engagement with the democratic process.

The Executive Councillor for Waste and Trading Standards announced that the construction of the new tactical HWRC site would commence on the 6th of December with a 6 month construction period. The site would be larger than the existing site and provide a better experience for residents to dispose and recycle their material.

North Kesteven District Council and Boston Borough Council had now successfully introduced the separate collections for paper and card recycling which had led to a significant improvement in contamination levels. West Lindsey District Council would also be introducing this service in the coming months. The roll out of the collection service had been supported by additional officers who had been present during bin collections where they had monitored contamination levels and educated residents when possible. Sampling had indicated that the lifestyle of residents played a significant part in the composition of waste, for example access to shops and takeaway food outlets. The Executive Councillor for Waste and Trading Standards thanked Offices and Councillors at both Boston Borough and North Kesteven District Councils for their efforts in making the project a success. 

The Performance Improvement Team had also created and tested an education and packaging programme for Primary Schools and delivery was due to commence to all schools in 2022.

The Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Planning informed Members that the Government were due to make an announcement on the Levelling Up White Paper would be in the week commencing December the 13^th.  It was emphasised that Levelling Up was critically linked to infrastructure for Lincolnshire, particularly with a need to address decades of underinvestment by central government as the Council strived for a fairer funding deal for all of our residents.

The Executive Councillor advised Members that Cityfibre had announced they would invest £21 million into a new citywide network that would bring full fibre broadband connectivity to Lincoln which would bring much needed improvements for Lincolnshire.

Elsewhere, initial results from the Lincolnshire Quarterly Economic Survey showed  falling UK market activity levels with export markets. Officers continued to analyse trends so that they could best understand how to shape their support across all sectors.

Nationally, the Resolution Foundation report into the long term implications of COVID-19 on the labour market had shown that at the end of the job retention scheme, there had not been a spike in unemployment, but that participation in the labour market had actually reduced, with 586 thousand more economically inactive people than at the start of the pandemic.

Work was underway for the redesign of the Business Centre in Market Deeping, and work was nearing completion on the Boatshed Café on Huttoft Car Terrace, which would be beneficial for the visitor economy in the area.

It was also noted that the Council were promoting the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone and the wider Agriculture food offer, with two leads being followed up with both the UK and the foreign investor, as well as on the food enterprise zone or the construction of the hub building, which was supported by the Getting Building fund from the UK.

The Council were working hard to ensure that a train service was maintained for the Lincoln Christmas Market.

In response to a question, it was confirmed that there were 5 national infrastructure applications for giant solar farms in Lincolnshire. The Council would consider the benefits of land for food and renewable energy sources and would then submit a response in due course. The Committee were reassured that all relevant Members would be consulted before a response was submitted.