Agenda and draft minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the following meetings:

AGREED:

a)    That the minutes of the Joint Performance Monitoring Panel and Policy Development Panel meeting held on 18 April 2024 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record; and

b)    That the minutes of the Performance Monitoring Panel meeting held on 22 May 2024 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

An update on actions that arose at the 22 May 2024 Performance Monitoring Panel meeting and the tracking of outstanding actions (enclosed).

Consideration was given to the actions which arose at the 22 May 2024 Performance Monitoring Panel, and the tracking of outstanding actions.

• Members referred to action 9(f) 24/25 and requested assurance that all eligible refunds had been ‘proactively’ processed in line with/ and since the implementation of, the Planning Guarantee. Had an audit been undertaken for the period to assess whether any refunds were outstanding?
  • The Planning Officer had submitted an updated response to the Chairman on the day of the meeting which would be circulated to the whole committee. The request clarified at the meeting would be referred to the officer for further comment.

• Members noted that a response from NHS representatives, in respect of action 2. 24/25, was still outstanding.  

AGREED:

That the responses to actions be noted.

Where a Councillor has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest the Councillor must declare the interest to the meeting and leave the room without participating in any discussion or making a statement on the item, except where a councillor is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of dispensation.

There were none.

There were none.

There were none.

There were none.

To note the current Key Decision Plan (enclosed).

Consideration was given to the Key Decision Plan dated 12 July 2024.

AGREED:

That the Key Decision Plan be noted.

To provide members with an update on Community Safety Partnership work at a local and county level (report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership enclosed).

Inspector Matt Dickinson will also be in attendance for this item.

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership which provided members with an update on Community Safety Partnership work at a local and county level.

The Community Safety Manager and Inspector Matt Dickinson were in attendance for this item.

The Community Safety Manager reminded members that following agreement at the 15 November 2023 Performance Monitoring Panel meeting, the Crime and Disorder Report would be provided annually and scheduled according to the release of annual data. The following points were highlighted from the report:

• Regarding ‘complex cases’, whilst these had previously been viewed from an anti-social behaviour and enforcement perspective, the team had identified that many such cases required a mental health focus. Following discussions with the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership, a Task and Finish Group was set up which recommended that communication between Community Safety Teams and Mental Health Services be improved. A process had been implemented to this effect and work was ongoing;
• The following information was appended to the report:
  • Community Safety Strategy Action Plan 2023-24 at Appendix A;
  • Enforcement action to address Anti-Social Behaviour in South Holland 2023-24 at Appendix B;
  • Safer Lincolnshire Partnership Annual Report 2023-24 at Appendix C (including sub-appendices); and
  • CCTV Annual Statistical Report 2023-24 at Appendix G.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members were aware that some residents had been affected by cannabis fumes from neighbouring properties and gardens and enquired about the legality of such activity and whether support was available for those affected. How could such activity be reported?
  • The Community Safety Manager responded that:
    • A Noxious Odour Procedure (outlined at page 107 of the agenda) had been implemented across Lincolnshire;
    • Reports of incidents could be made direct to the council or agencies (for example Police/Housing Association) and the Noxious Odour Procedure would be followed; and
    • Members were advised to contact the Community Safety Manager Support regarding support requests for specific cases;
  • Inspector Dickinson confirmed that the possession of cannabis in any location was a criminal offence. The use of enforcement was facilitated through the partnership working with local councils.

• Members referred to the Community Safety Strategy Action Plan 2023-2024 specifically in respect of the Safety of Women and Girls noted at page 75, and requested an update regarding the progress of CCTV.
  • The Community Safety Manager confirmed that whilst the report included data relevant to the partnership area, South Holland was not awaiting upgrades to its CCTV equipment; and
  • Inspector Dickinson responded that CCTV review capability had been made accessible to all police officers based at Spalding Police Station. A part-time volunteer was also in place to undertake reviews on behalf of the police. Due to the increased capacity, it was anticipated that the utilisation of CCTV would increase. Inspector Dickinson invited all Ward Members to contact him directly regarding any specific issues affecting their wards.

• Members asked how Community Payback options were being explored. Could an update be provided in this respect for South Holland.
  • The Community Safety Manager  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

To review progress and ensure the new policy is achieving its intended aims (report of the Assistant Director – Regulatory enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Regulatory which reviewed progress and ensured the new policy was achieving its intended aims.

The Climate Change and Environment Officer and the Assistant Director – Regulatory attended for this item.

The Climate Change and Environment Officer introduced the report which updated the committee on progress made since the implementation of the Sustainable Products Policy in November 2022.

An action plan of monitoring measures had been considered by the Performance Monitoring Panel in March 2023, which aimed to improve sustainability across all operations of the partnership by embedding the Sustainable Products Policy in the procurement framework and discontinuing the purchase of single use products where possible. Progress made towards achievement of the action plan was included within the report.

Members considered the update and made the following comments:

• Members expressed concern that central stationery supplies led to localised hoarding of items, which in turn, led to over ordering.

• Members stated that the council needed to be aware of spend on all items, such as stationery, and were keen that the progress of the policy be monitored against specific targets. Members requested that officers suggest how this could be achieved.
  • The Climate Change and Environment Officer responded that:
    • Whilst the audit process included granular data, the current purchase system, which included individual departments placing orders through Amazon with P-cards, had not furnished the council with detailed records from which a benchmark could be set. Departments were to be encouraged to use ‘preferred suppliers’ which would enhance data records and enable assessment of reduction savings; and
    • Target measures were in place within the action plan to evidence progress, such as the ‘single use plastic register’.
  • The Assistant Director – Regulatory confirmed the difficulties regarding the current data. Audits and assessments over the next twelve months would allow for the identification of cost and carbon-reduction improvements and enable targets to be set against benchmarked data.

• A proposal that a further update be presented to the Performance Monitoring Panel in 12 months’ time, to allow for the collation of meaningful data, was agreed by members.

AGREED:

a)    That the progress of the monitoring measures outlined in the action plan which supported the successful implementation of the Sustainable Products Policy, in line with the Council’s commitments to resource and waste management, and mitigation and adaptation to Climate Change, be noted; and

b)    That an update be presented to the Panel in 12 months’ time.

To establish a Joint Scrutiny Task Group and agree the associated scope to undertake the annual scrutiny review of the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership (report of the Assistant Director – Corporate enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Corporate to establish a Joint Scrutiny Task Group and agree the associated scope to undertake the annual scrutiny review of the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.

The Assistant Director – Corporate introduced the report and highlighted the following:

·       The S&ELCP Memorandum of Agreement stated that annual joint scrutiny would be undertaken to review progress of the partnership and to understand its effectiveness and opportunities for its further development;.

·       Appendix A outlined the scoping document for the Annual Joint Scrutiny of the Partnership task and finish group; and

·       Membership of the task group was to comprise the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Performance Monitoring Panel, and a third member was being sought at the current meeting.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Councillor Chris Brewis, who was not present at the meeting, had indicated his wish to join the membership of the task group. This was moved by the panel.

• The Chairman expressed his existing fulsome council commitments but would endeavour to attend the task group meetings wherever possible.

• The Assistant Director – Corporate suggested that a reserve member be appointed in addition to the core task group membership in order to cover any potential absences. This was agreed and the reserve position was filled by Councillor Paul Barnes.

AGREED:

a)    That the scope, at Appendix A, to enable the scrutiny exercise to commence promptly in September 2024, be agreed;

b)    That Councillor Chris Brewis be appointed to join the task group alongside the Chairman and Vice-Chairman; and

c)     That Councillor Paul Barnes be appointed as a reserve member of the task group.

To approve the scoping documents for the proposed joint scrutiny topics for 2024/25; and to agree the appointment of three members to each of those Joint Task and Finish Groups (report of the Assistant Director – Corporate enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Corporate which asked the Performance Monitoring Panel to approve the scoping documents for the proposed joint scrutiny topics for 2024/25 and to agree the appointment of three members to each of those Joint Task and Finish Groups.

The report was introduced by the Assistant Director – Corporate and the following points were highlighted:

• Appendix A detailed the 2024/2025 Joint Scrutiny Work Programme;
• Appendix B outlined the Enviro Crime Scoping document;
• Three members from the Performance Monitoring Panel were sought as part of a joint task and finish group, to review the Enviro Crime Enforcement Contract;
  • The following members volunteered and were duly appointed to the task and finish group: Councillor Andrew Woolf; Councillor David Wilkinson and Councillor Paul Barnes.

AGREED:

a)    That the topic and associated scope, as set out at Appendix B, with the Task and Finish Group authorised to review the scope and determine the detailed lines of enquiry and witnesses, be agreed; and

b)    That the three members to the Task and Finish Group, identified in Appendix B, be Councillor Andrew Woof, Councillor David Wilkinson and Councillor Paul Barnes.

To note the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2023/2024 prior to its presentation at Council (report of the Assistant Director – Governance enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Governance (Monitoring Officer) which asked the Performance Monitoring Panel to note the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2023/2024 prior to its presentation at Council.

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the report which included the following main points:

• That the council’s overview and scrutiny committees were required to report annually to Full Council on their work programme activities. In this respect, the report included the following summary of overview and scrutiny activity for the year:

o   Role and function of scrutiny;

o   Committee memberships;

o   Corporate Management support;

o   Meeting dates and summary of work undertaken by each Panel;

o   Task Groups;

o   Scrutiny activity in the district; and

o   Joint scrutiny of areas of mutual interest across the partnership region undertaken with scrutiny members from East Lindsey District Council and Boston Borough Council.

·       The report would also be presented to the Policy Development Panel on 9 September 2024 prior to being presented at Full Council on 2 October 2024.

Members considered the report and made the following comment:

·       Members welcomed the report which they stated was well-written, comprehensive and concise.

AGREED:

That the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2023/2024 be noted and recommended to Council.

The Chairman to lead a discussion on member iPads.

The Chairman led a discussion with Performance Monitoring Panel members to establish specific and common issues experienced with member iPads and which potentially affected the undertaking of democratic duties.

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate, Governance and Communications and the Head of ICT and Digital (PSPS) were in attendance to understand members’ concerns and answer questions.

Members expressed the following concerns regarding the stability and usability of the ModGov App and Microsoft Teams on iPad devices;

• Difficulties in accessing Microsoft Teams meetings:
  • Members sometimes received prompts to enter a Microsoft password in order to access a Teams meeting. Such passwords were held by ICT but not by members; and
  • A higher rate of issues had been identified where Teams meetings had been instigated by a Boston Borough Council or East Lindsey District Council officer;
• Microsoft Teams App had been removed from some devices, without notice, and reinstatement had required members to visit to the ICT offices;
• Viewing of documents through the ModGov App on the iPad was challenging and documents frequently reverted to the first page. Members felt this potentially affected their ability to engage with content at times and called for the system to be user friendly;
• The ModGov App did not allow the printing of selected agenda pages at home. Members debated the right to have printed agendas where requested/issues were encountered;
• A loss of internet connectivity was occasionally experienced at the council offices and members were prompted to enter a Wi-Fi password;
• Members reported issues with the viewing of long emails where multiple responses had been made;
• Multiple demands on personal Wi-Fi affected the capacity of utilising devices for council duties whilst at home; and
• It was noted that much officer and member time was lost attempting to rectify issues at the point of immediate need.

Members suggested that all members be surveyed to capture the full extent of issues encountered. An understanding of issues and how they could be addressed was required.

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate, Governance and Communications responded that:

• It was imperative that devices used by councillors in their wards and at meetings were reliable and stable. Work was already underway and further work would follow to achieve greater stability;
• Recent checks by ICT suggested that a number of issues encountered by members had resulted from incorrect/incomplete background configurations which could be easily addressed;
• Issues relating to Microsoft Teams and connectivity with ModGov had been identified and were being explored;
• Where device stability could not be achieved, the current practice regarding printed agendas may need to be revisited:
• Members were encouraged to report all issues to ICT;
• Support was given for a member survey to understand the extent of problems encountered; and
• Additional Microsoft 365 and ModGov functionality training could be offered to members in order to improve confidence and competency.

The Head of ICT and Digital (PSPS) responded that:

• Reports to ICT were reviewed, and where common issues identified, a ‘problem’ ticket was opened and further investigation undertaken;
• The ICT team had investigated  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

Presentation to be provided by the Senior Programme Manager – UK Shared Prosperity Fund / Rural Prosperity Fund (UKSPF/RPF).

Consideration was given to the presentation of the Assistant Director - Strategic Growth and Development and the Senior Programme Manager – UK Shared Prosperity Fund / Rural Prosperity Fund (UKSPF/RPF) which updated the Panel on the performance of the UKSPF/RPF Communities and Place theme in South Holland.

The Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF introduced the presentation, to be appended to the minutes, which included the following areas:

• A recap of the UKSPF/RPF award for South Holland;
• UKSPF contract management principles;
• UKSPF grant finance model;
• UKSPF in South Holland financial summary;
• UKSPF contracted programme delivery;
• Lincolnshire Community Foundation (LCF) GRASSroots – the delegated decision-making model for small and community grants;
• Lincolnshire Community Foundation – contractual performance and value for money to date;
• YMCA Lincolnshire – strategic objectives
• YMCA Lincolnshire – contractual performance and value for money;
• Case Study; and
• Next steps

The Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development stated that:

• The decision by central government for UKSPF grants to be managed by district councils was a significant opportunity to demonstrate delivery against centrally required themes;
• The Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development was the Senior Responsible Officer for the project with delivery charged to the Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF and his team;
• The guiding principle behind the establishment of the UKSPF team was to achieve excellence in how the funds were managed and dispersed and how impact was demonstrated; and
• Performance of the current programme would impact the ability of the council to attract further funding into the district from 2025.

Members considered the update and made the following comments:

• Members welcomed the update and stated that the content was encouraging.

• Members relayed feedback from an applicant regarding a partnership organisation which had been contracted to assist with the bid process.  A lack of support was encountered throughout the process including for a subsequent application to an initial unsuccessful bid.
  • The Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF stated that;
    • The partnership organisation was required to contact an applicant subsequent to any unsuccessful bid. Contact would be made with the organisation regarding this matter; and
    • Should a lack of support from partnership organisations be experienced in the future, applicants were advised to contact the Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF directly.

• Members queried whether organisations could still apply for funds.
  • The Senior Programme Manager UKSPF/RPF stated that:
    • The LCF GRASSroots fund had been exhausted and therefore closed to new applicants;
    • Grants For Growth was still open and applications from businesses were encouraged;
    • 98 per cent of the wider SPF fund was already committed and availability therefore extremely limited however in-Programme underspends may lead to additional smaller awards where appropriate; and
    • The availability of successive funds would be subject to central government decisions.

• Members asked whether training was provided to councillors in order to assist with the provision of advice to businesses.
  • The Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development responded that Grants for Growth applicants should be referred to the SHDC service area where support would be provided. Contacts shared through the member briefing newsletter  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

To set out the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel (report of the Assistant Director – Governance enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Governance which set out the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel.

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the report and highlighted the following main points:

• Appendix A detailed the forthcoming meeting dates and expected items; and
• Appendix B outlined Task Group information. The new Visitor Economy (Tourism) Task Group would commence in Autumn 2024.

AGREED:

That the Performance Monitoring Panel Work Programme be noted.

There were none.