Annual Parish Meeting 2023

North Kesteven District Council Report

As performance over the preceding year is regularly reported on, my report is similar to the address at NKDC’s Annual meeting a mixture of last year’s performance and what future plans are in place.
 NKDC is a council that has clarity of purpose;  invests in the things that matter to local people and can hopefully be seen as making a positive difference for our communities.
For this year we have a unanimously supported  NK Plan and Finance Strategy important for taking all our plans forward.
Over the last year, we continued investment through Lafford Homes, increasing the number of quality homes available to rent, we pursued our commitment to climate action from aspiration into delivery, a commitment with universal public support, and without sacrificing the ethos of that green agenda, we invested in our economy to create the jobs that our area needs. We redeveloped the Hub, bringing local Sleafordians back through the door as well as offering a national showcase, we continued  building quality  homes, now to the passivhaus standard, and successfully concluded the switch over to separate collection of paper and card into our waste service producing a quality recyclate  and halving our contamination rates.
We rose to the significant challenges of a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a cost-of-living crisis. I genuinely believe we went the extra mile to ensure fantastic service to our communities through an extended period of extreme challenge. And we will continue to assist those still in need.
We enter a new four-year term in a strong place, a top 5 council with a great track record and ambitious plans, supported by a robust finance strategy with the capacity to invest in our priorities and local public services. We are an Investors in People gold organisation, and a leader in partnership development delivering projects that have attracted national profile.
As ever, the planning and budget cycle will begin this summer and lead to the updated NK Plan and Finance Strategy for the autumn.
Our vision and strategic focus will remain rooted in United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030: 17 goals which inform our vision for flourishing communities and our commitment to the Green Thread.
Our ambition to promote flourishing communities embraces our partnership work on health and wellbeing, our commitment to community safety and our focus on shaping the places where people want to live, work and visit.
Our commitment to the Green Thread respects the planetary boundaries at the heart of the UN SDG framework. We will extend our commitment to passivhaus housing development, the decarbonisation of our leisure estate and the achievement of net zero for 2030. Our partnership within Central Lincolnshire remains central to delivery, and our newly revised shared Local Plan is a trailblazer for planning policy designed to deliver net zero.
We have to acknowledge that the carbon budget for our area will be exhausted before the next district council election at current emissions levels. We need to see rapid and immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and the time for action is now.
A paper will be brought to members soon, creating the role of Sustainability Champion. The champion will work closely with the sustainability team, be the elected liaison with parishes and our communities and continue the relationship with outside bodies such as UK100. 
Our NK Plan will extend delivery of our five priorities: our environment; our communities; our homes; our economy; and our council. We will continue to focus our £250m ten-year capital investment programme to create the decent homes our communities need, to retrofit intelligently our social housing stock, and to deliver projects as diverse Sleaford Moor, our regeneration ambitions for Sleaford, and our plans for Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum.
Partnership is key to delivery of our priorities. We have an enviable track record for the leadership role this council plays in many partnership settings. And look forward to the ongoing development of our Central Lincolnshire partnership, the Integrated Care Partnership, and our many connections across the Greater Lincolnshire geography from the Humber to the Wash.

We will of course face many challenges over the next four years. The local government finance landscape as ever, remains incredibly challenging, with reform of the funding system still to be implemented. It will require proactive and innovative thinking to balance the books whilst accommodating increased demand on services.  Difficult decisions lie ahead, within the next budget round, but we are up for the challenge, enabling us to maintain our long-term ten-year view of the council’s financial plans.
There are several policy challenges too. The Environment Act 2021 remains to be implemented, with significant implications for waste management. It will require major service transformation and careful financial modelling as we consider appropriate waste collection policies and engage in the development of a new waste strategy for Lincolnshire and whether the time for collaboration over delivery is the way forward.
Policy changes in services as diverse as planning and housing, leisure, building safety and housing regulation could have significant implications too.
The ongoing drive for devolution is likely to feature strongly during this council term too. We will continue to represent a strong district voice in the debate and build a partnership approach to secure the policy levers and resources we need to achieve local priorities. But it is time that Lincolnshire realised it’s potential and that together we can persuade central government to recognise our strong partnerships and make the investment our area and our residents so deserve.

Cllr Richard Wright
June 2023