Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual Meeting Microsoft Teams

Contact: Richard Mell  Email: Richard.Mell@northlincs.gov.uk

Note: Date changed from 29 March 2021 

Media

Items
No. Item

1415.

Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Personal or Personal and Prejudicial interests.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest declared.

 

1416.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 1 February 2021 pdf icon PDF 84 KB

Minutes:

That the minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 1 February 2021 having been circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the chair.

1417.

Covid19 Epidemiology Verbal Update by Director of Public Health

Minutes:

COVID19 – EPIDEMIOLOGY VERBAL UPDATE - The Director of Public Health gave a presentation updating the cabinet on the current position within North Lincolnshire. This included –

 

·                The position to date on the Government’s ‘roadmap’ out of lock down and restrictions

·                Positivity data over the last 21 days and trends (national and local comparison), and

·                Local and vaccination rates/data.

 

The Director responded to several questions asked by members.

 

Resolved – That the Director be thanked for his very interesting presentation and update, and he, his staff and staff across the council be thanked for their continuing hard work during the pandemic.

1418.

Covid 19 Mid Term Recovery Update - Report of the Director: Governance and Partnerships pdf icon PDF 335 KB

Minutes:

COVID19 MID TERM RECOVERY UPDATE – Further to minute 1401, the Director: Governance and Partnerships submitted a report updating Cabinet on the Council’s progress responding to COVID-19 as set out in the mid-term recovery plan and provided an overview of the national COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021 and Road Map which would inform actions within the mid-term recovery plan. Appendix 1 of the report set out the council’s key highlights achieved against the plan.

 

The Director in her report explained that the local response to COVID-19 was set within a range of legislative regulations that had been introduced. The two key ones being the Coronavirus Act 2020 and Health Protection (England) Regulations 2020. Government guidance and new regulations continued to be issued which are applied to council operational and strategic response as relevant. The Cabinet Office had also published the COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021 on 22 February 2021 setting out the roadmap for easing of restrictions in England. Her report provided the key points from the national plan in Appendix 2.

 

The national plan confirmed the need to continue to work with health protection at the heart of the organisation. As place leader the Council would maintain attention on living with and mitigating the risk of COVID-19. The COVID-19 Response set out key tests that will determine each stage of the roadmap:-

 

Test 1: The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully;

Test 2: Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated;

Test 3: Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS, and

Test 4: The assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new Variants of Concern.

 

The report stated that there was a clear role for local authorities in achieving a successful easing of national restrictions and the steps outlined in the Road Map provided a frame for the Council’s emergence from the pandemic and reopening and return to some level of normality. These were consistent with our priorities and actions within the mid-term recovery plan which would be revised in line with the road map. The national response document focus on the things that need to be in place and prioritised at national and regional level;

 

·           Healthcare response (Supporting NHS, Vaccines and Therapeutics);

·           Keeping people safe and responding to threats (Behaviours, Test, Trace & Isolate and Responding to variants of concern);

·           Economic and social support (Economic support, Support for vulnerable people and communities and Support for care homes), and

·           Long Term (Transition from pandemic to epidemic, Living with COVID and Resilience for future pandemics).

 

As well as continuing to meet council priorities and responsibilities the council would need to ensure that there was capacity to respond to the above requirements and emerging national policy changes, in the context of the pandemic.

 

Resolved - That the report and support the continued delivery of priority actions be noted.

1419.

Scunthorpe Town Deal - Heads of Terms - Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director : Commercial pdf icon PDF 174 KB

Minutes:

SCUNTHORPE TOWN DEAL – HEADS OF TERMS - The Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director: Commercial submitted a report seeking approval of the recommendation of the Towns Fund Board to accept and sign the Heads of Terms for Scunthorpe Town Deal.

 

The Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director: Commercial in his report explained thatScunthorpe’s Town Investment Plan (TIP) was submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for approval of £26.9m in December 2020 for seven projects.   The Plan was deemed to be of a strong standard which had enabled the board to move forward to a draft Heads of Terms (HoT) received on the 3 March 2021. MHCLG had confirmed through the Heads of Terms that the Scunthorpe allocation would be £20.9m.

 

The Heads of Terms offer to Scunthorpe was the start of stage 2, was not a contractually binding document and the offer was subject to various conditions being met. The Heads of Terms would act as a Memorandum of Understanding for the future development and delivery of Scunthorpe’s Town Investment Plan and project proposals. It set out joint expectations as the business case development phase commenced. The HoT were presented to the Towns Fund Board on the 8th March 2021 with a timeline attached as appendix A to the report.  The board unanimously made the recommendation to the Accountable Body to accept the Heads of Terms by submitting them to MHCLG on the 24 March 2021 and move to the next stage.

 

Resolved – (a) That the recommendation of the Towns Fund Board to accept the Heads of Terms for Scunthorpe Town Deal be supported and approved, and (b) that the signing of the Heads of Terms be delegated to to the Chief Executive and S151 Officer (Director: Governance and Partnerships) on behalf of the Accountable Body.

1420.

A Green Future : Our Plan for Positive Change - Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director : Commercial pdf icon PDF 39 KB

Minutes:

A GREEN FUTURE: OUR PLAN FOR POSITIVE CHANGE – The Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director: Commercial submitted a report which introduced the council’s plan ‘A Green Future’, which had been developed to deliver the positive change needed to create a cleaner, greener, healthier and more sustainable North Lincolnshire. It was centred on a vision that:

 

‘North Lincolnshire is a ‘net zero’ area.  The environment is integral to all our decision making and everyone has a positive relationship with the environment.  We all play our part in making our area a cleaner, greener, healthier and more sustainable and attractive place to live, work and visit’.

 

To achieve this vision would require area wide ownership and action, and with this in mind, area wide engagement was planned.

 

The report summarised the impact of climate change international, the national response and associated challenged in North Lincolnshire. It also explained that nationally, the ‘Environment Bill, A Green Future: A 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment’ and ‘The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’ set out an approach to deliver the government’s environment vision.  Government asserts that local government had an essential role to play responding to challenges at a local level, leading specific and locally appropriate responses and driving innovation. 

 

‘A Green Future’ was the council’s plan to deliver the positive change needed which included the following eight key aims –

 

Aim 1: By 2030, North Lincolnshire Council will achieve ‘net zero’ and we will end the council’s contribution to global warming.

Aim 2: Clean Growth - net zero industry and commerce and good air quality.

Aim 3: The shift to net zero embeds decarbonisation in our economic growth.    We use decarbonisation as the foundation of our future prosperity.

Aim 4: Net zero living is easy and accessible.  It benefits the environment and improves people’s lives.

Aim 5: Resources are used more efficiently.  The amount of waste North Lincolnshire produces is minimised.

Aim 6: Everyone is connected with our environment.  We enhance and protect it.

Aim 7: Everyone has a stake in our environment, and everyone can feel the benefit.

Aim 8: A Network to achieve our vision for ‘A Green Future’.

 

To achieve these aims required significant change.  Everyone in North Lincolnshire would need to play their part – residents, businesses, the public sector and non-profit organisations. It was therefore proposed that the council now engaged with residents, businesses, the public sector and non-profit organisations across North Lincolnshire about the aims of ‘A Green Future’.  This should include seeking feedback on a range of actions that should help us achieve these aims.  Following this engagement, a new Environment Policy and Programme would be developed for approval. 

 

Resolved – (a) That the vision, outcomes, goals and aims of ‘A Green Future’ be noted and endorsed, and (b) that engagement with residents, businesses, the public sector and non-profit organisations be progressed with the intent of developing a greater understanding of how we  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1420.