South Kesteven District Council

This Finance and Economic Overview meeting focused on two procurement-relevant areas: the ongoing review and financial stabilization of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) with expert external support and governance updates, and grantham town centre investment outcomes under the Future High Street Fund, including a capital works contract and tender activity. Key pressures included backlog repairs, inflationary costs, and regulatory changes driving cost growth in HRA, alongside procurement activity to promote local supplier engagement and a competitive tender process for Grantham works. The committee also discussed asset improvements like Conduit Lane toilets and planned ongoing updates to HRA governance and performance reporting.

The Rural and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee reviewed multi-agency crime, safety, and welfare initiatives. Key themes included the use of a shared IT case-management system (Make Time Count) across housing, public protection, and Lincolnshire Police; enforcement case work such as Operation Charges for fly-tipping; CCTV improvements and performance metrics; and governance of the Crisis Resilience Fund (CRF) and Household Support Fund (HSF). The committee also scrutinised rural access to resilience support and asked for more outcome data on ASB cases and domestic abuse data. Key quotes illustrate the cross-agency collaboration, enforcement outcomes, and funding governance: for Make Time Count, “there is a case management system that we have shared… Make Time Count today,” and for CRF governance, “the delegation of any operational and financial decisions required in regard to CRF scheme delivery to the Deputy Chief Executive and S151 officer.”

Key procurement- and policy-related items discussed: (1) Adult Skills Fund allocations to providers will be implemented via a live procurement/call-off from a devolved framework in the coming weeks, with cross-border funding complexities and small-provider subcontracting in view; (2) the Careers Action Plan is to be endorsed in part, with the Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority to lead the careers agenda, convene a cross-age local stakeholder group, and develop an updated action plan; and (3) thePost-Sixteen Capacity Fund discussions cover devolved funding (~£10m over 3–4 years), MOUs to delegate signing to the Chief Executive and Mayor, and establishing a fair, transparent allocation process for capital funds.

The Planning Committee made three notable procurement-related decisions: (1) approved two S73 applications at Rectory Farm to lift occupancy limits to a combined 300 units, with off-site highway upgrades (A1/A52) to be completed thereafter and backed by government intervention through Homes England/NHA, aiming to accelerate housing delivery; (2) refused the outline consent for S251912 at Uffington due to less-than-substantial harm to the Conservation Area balanced against self-build benefits; and (3) refused S252342 at Brambling Walk, Rippegale, citing harm to the Conservation Area and encroachment into open countryside, despite parish/community support for self-build plots. The decisions reflect a tilt-back toward housing delivery amid 5-year supply shortfalls, while safeguarding heritage assets in contested sites.

The Cabinet considered four procurement/policy-related items: 1) Play equipment repairs, replacement, and monthly inspections awarded to Compound Limited for 3 years with a potential 2-year extension, procured via the ESBO framework with Welland procurement support. 2) Supply of building materials for in-house repairs/voids awarded to Hughes Gray for three years with a further two-year extension possible, with a benchmarked case showing value-for-money; contract value up to £5m over five years. 3) A long-awaited Street Trading Policy update introducing consent-area designations, removal of DBS checks, and the introduction of a one-off event consent, with adoption and ongoing monitoring. 4) Changes to the SK Community Fund (increasing the total pot to £200k, creating a large grants fund up to £20k, online two-stage application, and delegated decision-making to the Assistant Director for Leisure Culture and Place, with a member panel for recommendations). The meeting also noted ongoing work to schedule cabinet meetings and respond to open questions from members.

The Employment Committee discussed two key procurement-relavant policy changes: (1) Volunteering with South Kesteven District Council – endorsement of the policy’s implementation, with plans to disseminate to parish councils and celebrate volunteers during National Volunteer Week; and (2) Employment Rights Act 2025 – approval of amendments to the probation policy and paternity policy to align with forthcoming legislation, with a unanimous vote to adopt the changes and noted ongoing policy reviews (menopause action plan, flexible working, etc.).