Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 18 February 2025 (copy enclosed). 

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 18 February 2025 were agreed and signed by the Leader.

(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.)

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Final Report of the Business Frontage Task Group

Consideration was given to the final report of the Business Frontage Task Group, containing recommendations which had been approved by the Performance Monitoring Panel.

The Chairman of the Task Group, Councillor Woolf, presented the report containing the Task Group’s recommendations to the Cabinet.

Consideration was given to the report and the following issues were raised:

·       The Task Group and Lead Officer were thanked for their hard work in bringing forward the report and recommendations. 

·       It was important to have a district-wide Shop Front Design Guide – this was not something that could be used retrospectively however, its use going forward would be helpful.

·       The recommendations were timely with the current spotlight on high streets and the challenges they faced.  It was important to raise standards and aspire to doing more. 

·       Updates on progress of the recommendations were requested as it was important that positive results flowed from them.  It was agreed that these should be done on a six-monthly basis.

·       Comment was made that the issue of empty shops had not been included within the report.  The Leader confirmed that the Spalding Town Board had received a suggestion from the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society that these spaces could be used to display information on the history of the area.

·       It was important to ensure that the conclusions and recommendations were  focussed in order to ensure accountability.

·       With regard to the recommendation around application for grants, it was acknowledged that grants for businesses were not plentiful.  It was important to be realistic and there was an important role in increasing awareness of grants where these were available. There was a role for the authority here, and it was important that shop owners were signposted to any relevant grants.

·       The Leader summarised:

o   That he supported moving forward on a South Holland Shop Front Design Guide;

o   With regard to the second recommendation and liaising with the Business Improvement District Manager putting in place arrangements for monthly updates, this should be done with the involvement of Strategic Planning, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder and the BID Manager. It was also felt that monthly updates may be too frequent, certainly at the outset.

o   With regard to grants, the issue raised above with regard to the signposting of grants should be taken on board.

DECISION:

That the following recommendations of the Business Frontage Task Group be approved, taking into account the points summarised by the Leader:

1)    To prepare and provide a South Holland Shop Front Design Guide which would enable departments to cohesively work with shop owners and businesses in the district to offer best practice and recommendations of good design guide, to improve the outer facing of shop windows in keeping with the street scene.

2)    South Holland District Council to liaise with the Business Improvement District Manager, in liaison with Strategic Planning and the relevant Portfolio Holder, to put arrangements in place for regular updates, to include information on new opening  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84.

To provide an update on how the Council is performing for the period 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024 (report of the Assistant Director – Corporate enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Corporate which provided an update on how the Council was performing for the period 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024. 

The Portfolio Holder – Corporate, Communications and Environmental Services presented the report.

Consideration was given to the report and the following issues were raised:

·       Data within the Healthy Lives section suggested a large increase in homelessness – what was the reason for this?

o   The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing advised that there was no specific reason for this.  Officers were working more closely with partners such as those dealing with domestic abuse, the Citizens Advice Bureau etc and the new Housing team structure provided more resilience and increased working with the private sector.  There were many complex issues around homelessness and potential homelessness, and it was vitally important that individuals spoke to the Authority sooner in order that they could be helped. 

·       The Performance Monitoring Panel had picked up similar issues around potential increases in homelessness.  Was there sufficient funding and staffing to deal with the issues?  Consideration also needed to be given to more imaginative ways of making the public aware of services available to them.

o   The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing responded that the new staffing structure provided resource and resilience, and that it was important to compare current to past data to understand the improvements that had taken place as a result of the new structure.  The situation around homelessness was a country-wide trend and it was important to understand that it was a big challenge.  The new staffing structure could assist by bringing in staff to deal with the private sector and build relationship with them, and assisting individuals in dealing with life skills issues.

·       It was encouraging to see the gradual improvement in the percentage of recycling collected that was unable to be recycled due to contamination.

·       Concern was raised in respect of the increased number of working days lost to sickness. 

o   The Chief Executive commented that it was not unusual to see an increase at this time of year however, the figures still compared positively with others in the public sector.

o   The Business Intelligence and Change Manager added that the figure was a cumulative figure over the quarters, and not a new figure for each quarter.  He would ensure that this point was made more clearly in future performance reports. 

·       It was noted that the number of website visitors had reduced and that this seemed unusual. 

o   The Business Intelligence and Change Manager advised that he was awaiting an explanation on this from Customer Services and would advise members of the response once received.  However, whilst website usage appeared to have dropped, usage of other digital services had increased.

DECISION:

That the contents of the report be noted.

(Other options considered:

·       Not to monitor performance – this was not recommended;

Reasons for decision:

·       To ensure Council performance is properly scrutinised).

To set out the current financial position for the Council at the end of the third quarter of 2024/25 (report of the Interim S151 Officer enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Interim S151 Officer which set out the current financial position for the Council at the end of the third quarter of 2024/25.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance presented the report, and prior to commencing a more detailed summary, stated that this year, like recent years, would be challenging. This was however being offset by higher than anticipated investment income due to interest rate levels and increased cash balances.

General Fund (GF) Revenue Forecast

The revenue outturn forecasted an underspend position of £176,000 at the year-end.

·       Neighbourhoods had partially mitigated adverse costs identified at quarter two reducing a forecast overspend by £27,000 to £90,000, arising from staffing pressures within the Recycling and Refuse services. This mitigation had also resulted in budgeted savings for future years of circa £160,000 per annum.

·       The General Fund 2024/25 net budget for investment income was £1.033million.  The forecasted full year outturn for investment income as at Quarter 2 was £1.286million, which would be an overachievement of £253,000.

·       For transparency, table 1b provided details of additions to the revenue budget as the year progressed through decision notices and delegated decisions.

·       The 2024/25 budget included a savings efficiency target of £831,000, savings were being tracked and could be found in table 1c. 57% of the target had been identified as at 31 December and the forecast assumed the remaining target would be met with work ongoing to support this.

GF Capital

For General Fund Capital, Table 4a provided details of all capital schemes. The proposed revised capital budget as at Quarter 3 for the General Fund was £6.116million. Changes to the capital programme were also being tracked with a reprofiling of capital budget of £4.322million to future years detailed in Table 4b. Slippage continued to be carefully monitored and considered and budgets refined as the financial year progressed.

HRA

Section 2.3 detailed the HRA revenue budget which was forecasting a surplus of £227,000. This was due mainly to an underspend in Supervision and Management £66,000 and increased investment income £125,000.

For HRA Capital, Table 5a provided details of all capital schemes with the programme totalling £21.851million for 2024/25.  A stock condition survey programme had commenced, which alongside the Asset Management Strategy, would inform future investment decisions.

Treasury

Section 2.6 of Appendix A detailed the Council’s treasury investments. The Council’s cash continued to perform well with £422.7k forecast to be achieved in excess of budget.

Consideration was given to the report and the following issues were raised:

Clarity on the following items within Appendix A - table 4B – Capital Programme Changes was sought, and responses provided:

·       It was clarified that the Uniform System was the new IT system being used within Planning, and that the cost had now been factored in and aligned across the Partnership. 

·       The Christmas lights referred to within the table were part of the Spalding Special Expenses.
With regard to the Lutyens Memorial item, officers would clarify whether this was a Spalding Special Expense or a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

To update elected members and officers on the contents of the Carbon Reduction Plan and the recommendation as per Policy Development Panel (report of the Assistant Director – Regulatory enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Regulatory which provided an update on the contents of the Carbon Reduction Plan and the recommendation from the Policy Development Panel.

The report was presented by the Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing, Conservation and Heritage, and Tourism.

Background

·       Work had been underway with consultants WSP for around a year.

·       The initial phase was primarily data gathering to create the baseline carbon footprint. This was based on data from financial year 2023/2024

·       That element of the work was completed a while ago and the final version of the carbon reduction plan had now been received.

·       A workshop was held on 27 November 2024 to discuss initial findings and provided everyone the opportunity to give feedback.

·       The Carbon Reduction Plan document was presented to Policy Development Panel on 11 February 2025 which generated a healthy level of discussion and was well received.

·       The work undertaken brought SHDC in line with similar work already carried out at ELDC and BBC.

·       The overall carbon footprint for 2023/2024 for SHDC’s operational emissions was 10536 tCO2e.

·       For comparison, the footprint for SHDC compared well with ELDC/BBC.

Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP)

·       The CRP was an overarching high-level document and the final version had now been received.

·       The idea of the plan was to look at what our pathway to Net Zero might be however it did not cover every possible action/opportunity.

·       Once agreed, the next steps would be to produce a detailed action plan including relevant timescales/costs for those projects highlighted to take forward.  This would look at the most practicable projects for implementation.  First steps had already been taken to get this work underway

·       Key areas of the plan included the examples below. Short/medium and long-term proposals

1.    Fleet - alternative fuels, electrification of fleet vehicles.

2.    Council owned leased commercial buildings. Identify and focus on lower performing buildings.

3.    Solar PV feasibility study for SHDC buildings.

4.    Retrofit council properties to meet existing energy standards.

5.    Behavioural – encourage and enable energy saving and improve environmental practices (recycling etc) and behaviours amongst council staff

·       It was important to note that some projects could be discounted, and others identified as the process progressed. The list of recommendations was not exhaustive.

·       All would be worked through with the relevant stakeholders/portfolio holder and service leads.

·       It was important to note that approval of this plan did not commit the council to any specific financial commitments at this point. All projects to be taken forward would be subject to robust business cases being put forward and decisions made on a case-by-case basis

·       As with ELDC/BBC – it was likely that plan delivery would require external funding to be sourced, and this plan was the first step in ensuring we were able to bid for funding when available.

Net Zero Target

·       SHDC had signed up to the Partnership’s Climate Change Strategy committing to be Net Zero in advance of the UK government target (2050)

·       WSP modelled various  ...  view the full minutes text for item 87.

To receive initial findings of housing stock condition surveys (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which requested that Cabinet receive the initial findings of housing stock condition surveys.

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing presented the report.

The interim findings of the stock condition survey detailed ongoing efforts to ensure Council homes met the Decent Homes Standard (DHS). It encompassed all Council-owned dwellings within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), as well as occupied domestic properties in the general fund. The survey examined property components, e.g. kitchens, hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), and energy efficiency. Of 3,927 surveys issued, 2,428 had been completed as at 17 March. Updated data would ensure accurate DHS reporting.

Category 1 hazards identified had been resolved. The service recognised damp, condensation, and mould (DCM) as a priority with specialist resources engaged for remedial works. Energy efficiency improvements were aligned with the Green Homes Grant scheme. A final report would be presented back to the Performance Monitoring Panel and this data would be used to shape the HRA Business Plan and Asset Management Strategy.

Consideration was given to the report and the following issues were raised:

·       There was some concern regarding the resource impact on the team as a result of the Government’s new legislation however, the report was well received.

·       It was encouraging to see that the Authority had a very high percentage of decent homes.

DECISION:

That the work underway to survey all residential council homes and associated assets be noted; and that the feedback provided by the Performance Monitoring Panel, expressly that the Housing Department should ensure the appropriate financial and human resources are available to meet all needs and requirements arising from stock condition surveys also be noted.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing – Not to consider information presented regarding the stock condition survey findings.  This option was not recommended;

Reasons for decision:

·       The purpose of the report was to inform members of the progress and findings to date towards ensuring that the Council had robust data on the condition of its homes).

To receive assurance on how the Housing Landlord Service is performing against key statutory compliance measures (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which provided assurance on how the Housing Landlord Service was performing against key statutory compliance measures.

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing presented the report.

The Housing Transformation programme was committed to improving landlord services for tenants through enhanced transparency and accountability. Reports such as this one allowed enhanced scrutiny by members and tenants. While performance data was already provided through quarterly corporate reporting, ongoing improvements had highlighted the need for enhanced reporting.

A Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) report would be presented to members of the Performance Monitoring Panel in May and submitted to the Regulator in June, with the information also published online for tenants. Compliance data, currently monitored monthly by the compliance clinic, would now also be reported to the panel every six months, offering detailed insights into safety checks and remedial actions.

The report covered key compliance areas, including fire safety, gas, electrical safety, and damp, condensation, and mould (DCM) management. Third-party assurance checks and audits were undertaken to maintain quality and details were provided in the report. Tenants were regularly informed through compliance paperwork, annual reports, and the council’s website of actions taken to ensure safety in their homes. This was supported by 86% of tenants surveyed reporting that they felt safe in their homes.

Consideration was given to the report and the following issues were raised:

·       The data around the number of outstanding remedial actions was encouraging, as was the percentage of tenants who felt safe in their homes. 

DECISION:

That the Housing Landlord Service’s performance against key statutory compliance measures, accepting the report as assurance of the services performance in delivering the outcomes of the Safety and Quality standard and meeting statutory Health and Safety responsibilities, be noted.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing – Not to consider information presented regarding the performance of statutory compliance – this was not recommended;

Reasons for decision:

·       To provide assurance and confidence to members that tenants are living in safe homes and that arrangements for monitoring compliance areas are robust, with regular reviews and improvements implemented).

To receive an update on how the Housing Landlord Service is performing on responsive repairs and planned maintenance (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed)

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which provided an update on how the Housing Landlord Service was performing on responsive repairs and planned maintenance.

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing presented the report, which highlighted challenges and proposed improvements in the Council’s repairs service. Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) for 2023/24 revealed only 62% satisfaction with repair times and 70% satisfaction with the repairs service overall, prompting a focus on this area within the Housing Transformation programme.

The current approach to repairs was set out in the report, with 10,807 repairs completed by January 2025, split between the in-house team and external contractors. Performance against target timeframes, particularly for external contractors, required improvement. Emergency repairs, works in progress (WIP), and the void standard were also addressed, as well as planned repairs and maintenance reported under the HRA Capital programme. It was noted that improvements were required in delivery of programmed works.

Benchmarking showed the Council's performance compared to peers, and related TSM perception metrics highlighted areas for focus. Planned changes aimed to enhance service delivery and tenant satisfaction. The report stressed the importance of tenant oversight and linked stock condition and compliance data to inform service improvement and future business planning.

Consideration was given to the report and the following issues were raised:

·       It was encouraging to see the good performance of the Housing Repairs Team in responding to repairs however, when this report had been discussed by the Performance Monitoring Panel, members had commented that they wished to see improvement in the performance of external contractors.

o   The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing acknowledged this point and stated that if there were any complaints or feedback that they would be considered vigorously at contract meetings.  Good levels of service were always expected, be it from the internal team or external contractors. 

DECISION:

That the Housing Landlord Service’s performance in delivering responsive repairs and programmed maintenance be noted.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing.  To not consider information presented regarding the performance of responsive repairs and planned maintenance.  Cabinet is responsible for ensuring that the Council, in its role as a registered provider, is meeting the regulatory standards set.  This option is not recommended;;

Reasons for decision:

·       To provide assurance and confidence that the Housing Landlord Service’s arrangements for responsive repairs and planned maintenance are robust and arrangements for ongoing review and improvement are effective).

Note:         (i)      No other business is permitted unless by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified in the Minutes, the Leader is of the opinion that the item(s) should be considered as a matter of urgency. 

(ii)     Any urgent item of business that is a key decision must be dealt with in accordance with the Constitution’s Access to Information Procedure Rules.

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