The South Holland District Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 15 July 2026, was set to cover a range of important topics, including a motion to object to proposed booking systems at the Spalding Household Waste Recycling Centre, reports on housing funds and financial outturns, and the implementation of new HR policies. The meeting's agenda also included updates from portfolio holders on their respective areas of work.

Motion: Objection to the Proposed Booking System at Spalding HWRC

A significant item scheduled for discussion was a motion proposed by Councillor Paul Barnes and seconded by Councillor Gary Taylor, expressing objection to Lincolnshire County Council's¹ proposed appointment-only booking system at the Spalding Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) on West Marsh Road. The motion highlighted concerns that such a system would create a digital exclusion barrier for elderly and vulnerable residents, be unfair to working individuals requiring flexibility, and exacerbate waste pressures due to South Holland District Council's² no side waste policy. It was noted that the Spalding HWRC currently operates a restricted 5-day schedule. The motion recommended that Lincolnshire County Council prioritise HWRC investment, expand Spalding HWRC's capacity to operate seven days a week from 08:00 to 18:00 through a cost-neutral staffing plan, and investigate the possibility of an additional site for green waste. The Council was set to resolve to formally object to Lincolnshire County Council's proposed system on grounds of rigidity and digital discrimination, demand Spalding HWRC remain fully open without booking restrictions, and call for the implementation of an extended operational schedule.

Report from Cabinet Meeting on 30 June 2026

The meeting was scheduled to consider recommendations from the Cabinet meeting held on 30 June 2026. Two key areas were to be discussed:

• Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) Round 4 for the provision of Temporary and Resettlement Homes: The Cabinet recommended that Full Council amend the 2026/27 capital programme to reflect the LAHF 4 funds required to match fund the £345,000 received from the government. This would be supplemented by £70,000 from underspends from round 3 and £434,477 from the council's Section 106 affordable housing commuted sum reserves, creating a total scheme value of £849,477. This funding is intended to provide two temporary accommodation properties and one resettlement property to address local homelessness needs and support households arriving through the Government-sponsored Afghan resettlement scheme. The Council had previously acquired 14 homes through earlier rounds of the LAHF programme.
• 2025/26 Draft Outturn Finance Report: The Cabinet recommended that Full Council approve a capital addition of £2 million within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for 2026/27 to continue and expand energy efficiency improvements across the housing stock. Additionally, the Cabinet recommended noting the HRA draft outturn position for 2025/26, which showed an underspend of £3.130 million, and approving the transfer of this underspend to the HRA General Reserve. The report indicated a favourable variance of £258,000 for the General Fund after delivering an efficiency target of £1.256 million.

Implementation of HR Policies

Council was asked to approve revised and new HR policies, as detailed in a report from the Service Director – Corporate. These policies, developed by Public Sector Partnership Services (PSPSL)³ with input from a Readers' Panel of officers and trade union representatives, aimed to ensure legal compliance, reflect best practice, and promote consistent workforce management across the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership (SELCP)⁴. The report included three new policies: Fixed-term Contracts and Secondments Policy, Housing Competence and Conduct Policy, and Housing Code of Conduct. Four existing policies were also amended: Learning & Development Policy, Managing and Supporting Change Policy, Probation Policy, and Recruitment Policy. The Housing Competence and Conduct Policy and Housing Code of Conduct were specifically designed to meet the expectations of the Regulator of Social Housing⁵ under the Competence and Conduct Standard.

Portfolio Holder Updates

Members were scheduled to receive updates on the work being undertaken within each Portfolio Holder's remit. These updates, presented by the Leader, Councillor Nick Worth, and other Portfolio Holders including Councillor Paul Redgate (Finance), Councillor Jim Astill (Corporate and Environmental Services), Councillor Henry Bingham (Assets and Strategic Planning), Councillor Tracey Carter (Strategic and Operational Housing), Councillor Anthony Casson (Public Protection), Councillor Elizabeth Sneath (Health and Wellbeing, Conservation and Heritage), and Councillor Gary Taylor (Community Development), provided summaries of ongoing projects and initiatives.

Annual Treasury Report 2025/26

The meeting was to provide Members with the Annual Treasury Report for 2025/26, in accordance with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's (CIPFA)⁶ Code of Practice on Treasury Management. This report detailed the Council's treasury activities, actual prudential and treasury indicators for the year, and covered capital expenditure, financing, the economic update, the investment portfolio, borrowing strategy, debt position, and compliance with treasury and prudential indicators. The report was to be approved following scrutiny by the Governance and Audit Committee.

HRA Housing Repairs and Compliance Resourcing Review

A report sought approval to amend the Housing Repairs Service Establishment to strengthen its structure, ensuring sustainable service delivery and continued regulatory compliance. The proposals included adding three new posts: Housing Repairs and Voids Manager, Housing Compliance and Assurance Manager, and a Repairs and Logistics Officer. It also recommended changing the job title of the existing Housing Repairs and Compliance Manager to Housing Operations Manager – Repairs and Compliance. Furthermore, the report sought approval to convert ten existing fixed-term positions to permanent posts and to approve an amendment to the HRA budget from 2026/27 by an increase of £90,735.75 to fund the three new posts. These changes were intended to enhance management oversight, improve resilience, strengthen compliance, and align the service with sector best practice, particularly in light of increasing regulatory requirements such as Awaab's Law⁷.

Other Scheduled Items

The agenda also included standard council business such as receiving minutes from various committees and panels, reviewing the Key Decision Plan, and considering any other urgent items the Chairman might decide to bring forward.