The Executive approved the revised Income Management and Arrears Policy and the new Neighbourhood Management Policy. The committee also approved the commencement of a consultation on the revocation of the Council’s Air Quality Management Area, and delegated authority to the Portfolio Holder for Remarkable Place to take further action based on the consultation responses. The committee deferred a decision on the Pet Policy. A decision was also made on the Statutory Food Waste Collection Service - Capital Finance Report, but the details of that decision, and the reasons for it, were not made public.

Income Management and Arrears Policy

The Executive approved the revised Income Management and Arrears Policy.

The policy was discussed at the Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee on 08 August 2024 and had been reviewed in consultation with the Lincoln Tenants Panel. The policy had not been substantially changed since its last review, so no wider consultation was undertaken.

The policy aims to prevent rent arrears, to clearly define how the Council will recover arrears, and to ensure that tenants receive help in paying rent and clearing debts.

The policy states that the Council will make every attempt to recover debts before taking possession action. The policy states:

Our primary aim is to recover the debt rather than taking possession action, and evictions are to be considered a failure rather than a success.

The policy goes on to say that there may be instances where possession or eviction are unavoidable.

The policy was approved without amendment.

Neighbourhood Management Policy

The Executive approved a new Neighbourhood Management Policy, which had been developed in consultation with the Lincoln Tenants Panel.

The policy is intended to provide a framework for keeping neighbourhoods in Lincoln attractive, clean and safe, and for ensuring that tenants are able to feel a sense of ownership of their neighbourhood.

The policy commits the council to working with residents and partner organisations to inspect neighbourhoods, to deliver on priorities within neighbourhoods and to deal with environmental decline and anti-social behaviour.

The report to the Executive describes the new policy as an umbrella policy, which is supported by existing service delivery policies and procedures.

The policy was approved without amendment.

Pet Policy

The Executive deferred a decision on the Pet Policy.

Revocation of Lincoln’s Air Quality Management Area

The Executive approved the commencement of a consultation on the proposed revocation of the Council's current Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), and delegated authority to the Portfolio Holder for Remarkable Place, Councillor Rebecca Longbottom, to make a decision on whether to revoke the AQMA based on the responses received during the consultation.

The Council is obliged to designate an AQMA in any area where it is failing to meet its legal obligations in relation to air quality.

Nitrogen Dioxide levels in the city centre had historically exceeded the objectives, leading to the designation of the current AQMA. The report notes that the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, the new Transport Hub, and the East-West Link Road are all believed to have had a positive impact on air quality in the city.

The report notes that the Council's air quality monitoring has not recorded an exceedance within the AQMA since 2018. Because of this, the report argues that the legal requirement to designate an AQMA no longer applies.

Following the revocation of the AQMA, the council will be required to put in place a local air quality strategy.

Statutory Food Waste Collection Service - Capital Finance Report

The meeting went into private session to discuss a report on capital finance for the Statutory Food Waste Collection Service. The outcome of this item was not made public.