The Executive of Lincolnshire Council met on Tuesday 1 September 2026. The meeting considered the procurement of mains gas for the Council's corporate property portfolio via the ESPO Energy Framework, noting the financial performance for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. The meeting also considered the Council Plan Performance Framework for the same period and a change to the Council's appointment to the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority.

Gas Framework Contract Re-Procurement

The Executive approved the procurement of mains gas for the Council's corporate property portfolio via the ESPO Energy Framework. This will involve the award of a new call-off contract under the ESPO Energy Framework for the period 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2031, with an estimated whole-life value of £3.0 million to £3.5 million. Authority has been delegated to the Executive Director for Resources, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Community Engagement, to finalise the contractual arrangements and oversee the implementation of the new contract. This decision continues a long-standing arrangement with ESPO, which has been in place for over 25 years, providing a managed service, specialist expertise, and the benefits of aggregated public sector buying power. The ESPO framework was chosen over alternatives such as an independent energy broker or other public buying organisations due to its balance of cost control, risk management, and service quality. The Growth Scrutiny Committee had previously considered the report and recommended its approval.

Review of Financial Performance (2026/27 Quarter 1)

The Executive noted the forecast outturn position for revenue and capital for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. The forecast revenue outturn for Council budgets indicated an underspend of £0.1 million, while schools' revenue budgets showed a forecast overspend of £51.8 million. The report highlighted emerging financial risks and outlined mitigations being progressed, along with any necessary corrective actions. Changes to the revenue budget and capital programme made under delegated powers were also noted. A key decision was the approval of the reallocation of £5.348 million from the Contingency budget to fund spend within service budgets. This reallocation includes £2.938 million for high-cost secure placements within Children's Social Care, £1.128 million for SEND workforce stabilisation, and other allocations for IT, emPSN, the Tour of Britain, and Harrowby United's stadium pitch conversion. The Treasury Management Performance report for the quarter was also noted. Significant financial pressures were identified within schools' funding, primarily due to a forecast overspend of £52 million within the High Needs Block, contributing to a projected deficit in the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) reserve.

Council Plan Performance Framework 2026-27 Quarter 1

Performance for the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year, as at 30 June 2026, was considered and noted. The report indicated that of the 35 activities within the Council Plan Performance Framework, all were progressing as planned or within agreed limits, with none rated as 'Red'. For the 29 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with a target, 9 exceeded the target, 15 achieved it, and 5 did not achieve it. Key highlights included strong performance in adult care services, with a focus on community-based support, and exceeding targets for carers receiving support and adult safeguarding enquiries where risks were reduced or removed. However, challenges were noted in the percentage of children in care living within a family environment and the percentage of people aged over 18 awaiting assessment for social care needs. In the 'Community' section, response times for fire and rescue incidents remained better than target, and progress was ahead of target for broadband rollout and flood investigation completions. The 'County' section showed strong engagement with businesses receiving support, though recycling rates at Household Waste Recycling Centres were below target. Under 'Spending Wisely', sickness absence remained below target, and customer satisfaction with the Customer Service Centre was high, despite a transition to a new CRM system.

Appointments to Outside Bodies

The Executive approved a change to the Council's appointment to the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority. Councillor R Gibson was deleted as a named substitute for Councillor S Matthews, Leader of the Council, and Councillor P Lock was added in his place. This change ensures the Council maintains effective representation and engagement with the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority.