This week, the King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council held several important meetings, with significant decisions made that will impact the community.

Audit Committee Meeting - Monday 24 June 2024

In this meeting, the Audit Committee reviewed and noted the contents of the Annual Governance Statement and the Statement of Accounts for 2023-24.

Annual Governance Statement

The Annual Governance Statement details the council's internal control systems and governance arrangements. It has already been reviewed by the council's auditors, Ernst & Young. During the meeting, members discussed the process for calculating and verifying the council's income from car parking fees. This is a key aspect of the council's revenue and ensuring its accuracy is crucial for financial transparency.

Statement of Accounts

The Statement of Accounts outlines the council's income and expenditure over the previous financial year. The committee noted that this statement will be considered for formal approval by the Full Council at a later date.

Full Council Meeting - Thursday 27 June 2024

The Full Council convened to approve the minutes of the previous meeting and make various appointments to outside bodies. Two significant public questions were discussed during this meeting.

Public Questions

The first question addressed the council's environmental record, highlighting concerns about the climate emergency. The Leader of the Council responded by detailing the council's commitment to achieving carbon net zero by 2030, including investments in energy-efficient buildings and initiatives to encourage walking and cycling.

“This council takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. We are on track to be a carbon net zero council by 2030, and we are supporting our residents and businesses to become net zero too. We have invested millions of pounds in making our buildings more energy efficient. We are planting thousands more trees and hedgerows and encouraging residents to walk and cycle more often.”

The second question focused on the future of the South Lynn recycling centre, which closed in 2021. The Deputy Leader of the Council stated that while there are no plans to reopen the South Lynn facility, the council is exploring potential sites for a new recycling centre in the south of King's Lynn.

Budget Approval and Waste Contract Review - Thursday 27 June 2024

In another session of the Full Council, councillors voted to approve the budget for 2024-25 and reviewed the performance of the council’s waste collection partner, Serco.

Budget 2024-25

The council approved the budget for the upcoming financial year, despite facing significant financial challenges due to high inflation and uncertainty about future funding from central government. Measures to reduce expenditure include staff reductions and a review of all discretionary services.

The Council is facing significant financial challenges. Inflation is at a 40 year high, which is impacting on the cost of providing services, and there is significant uncertainty about future funding from central government.

Councillor Jo Rust expressed concerns about the impact of these cuts on the community, noting the existing challenges of austerity, such as increased reliance on food banks and rising homelessness.

Serco Waste Contract

The council discussed a report on the performance of Serco, noting recent issues with missed bin collections due to staff shortages, vehicle breakdowns, and hot weather. Actions to improve the service include recruiting additional staff, investing in new vehicles, and introducing a new system for reporting missed collections.

The Leader of the Council, Conservative Councillor Stuart Dark, said that he was 'disappointed' with the recent performance of the waste collection service. He said that the council would be 'monitoring the situation closely' and would be 'taking action' if the service did not improve.

Several councillors, including Alexandra Kemp, expressed frustration over the missed collections and the impact on residents.

Postponed and Cancelled Meetings

Two other meetings scheduled for this week were either postponed or cancelled:

• Unknown committee on Tuesday 25 June 2024 was postponed.
• Unknown committee on Wednesday 26 June 2024 was cancelled.

This concludes the summary of this week’s council activities. Stay tuned for further updates on how these decisions will affect our community.