The Fenland District Council was scheduled to meet on 15 September 2025 to discuss a number of issues including solar farms, refuse collection vehicles and member allowances. The council was also scheduled to review the Audit and Risk Management Committee Annual Report, and consider revisions to the Planning Scheme of Delegation within the council's constitution.

Solar Farms and Food Security

Councillor Tim Taylor submitted a motion regarding solar farms and food security. The motion noted that an increasing number of planning applications have been submitted to local planning authorities seeking permission to convert agricultural land to solar farms. Councillor Tim Taylor's motion stated that:

Current national planning regulations are currently not strong enough, so far as solar farm applications are concerned, and do not give enough weight to the importance of the agricultural land which is lost each time a solar farm is developed.

The motion stated that the UK needs to become less dependent on overseas food imports, and that current national planning regulations fail to directly and specifically recognise the importance of food security when new solar farms are proposed. The motion stated that government policy to protect the best and most versatile (BMV) agricultural land¹ from inappropriate development proposals needs to be significantly improved to ensure adequate protections for BMV agricultural land from conversion to other uses, particularly solar farms. The motion stated that this is a nationwide issue, but is of particular relevance to the Fens generally, and Fenland in particular, because the area has the greatest concentration of BMV agricultural land in the country. The motion called on Fenland District Council to resolve to write to various Secretaries of State and Ministers of State calling upon them to amend current national planning guidance and practice to prevent approval for any further ALC grade 1 agricultural land to be converted for use as a solar farm, and to create a presumption against approval for any further ALC grade 2 or 3a agricultural land to be converted for use as a solar farm. The motion also proposed writing to Stephen Barclay MP and various media organisations advising them of the motion.

Refuse, Recycling and Cleansing HGV Fleet Replacement

The council was scheduled to consider a recommendation to approve the procurement of required HGV vehicles as part of the ongoing Fleet Replacement Plan. The report noted that Fenland Council has an efficient approach to vehicle replacement that allows frontline vehicles to be in service for more than 10 years, where they remain viable, and that the council requires a fleet of 20 HGV vehicles to provide key frontline services. The report stated that lead times for these types of vehicles are increasing, and it is important to allow these services to keep running without issue, and that the vehicles being replaced will have been in service for between 9 and 15 years at the point they are replaced. The report included a table showing the Fleet HGV Replacement Schedule for 2026-2029, including the vehicle type, service area, age, delivery date and cost estimate. The report recommended that the council approve the procurement of the 4 HGV vehicles for delivery April 2026 as part of the ongoing Fleet Replacement Plan, approve the vehicle and capital requirement for 2027/28 and 2028/29 and for these requirements to be added to the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, and approve the delegation of the procurement of these vehicles to the corporate director with responsibility for Environmental Services, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder responsible for street sweeping, recycling and refuse collection.

Constitutional Amendments: Planning Scheme of Delegation

The council was scheduled to consider revisions to the Planning Scheme of Delegation within the council's constitution. The proposed revisions would allow delegation of authority to initiate prosecutions for non-compliance with enforcement notices to officers, rather than requiring a resolution of the Planning Committee. The report noted that the council's constitution includes a scheme of delegation, which identifies what duties and tasks can be carried out by officers instead of the Planning Committee, and sets out any conditions associated with these authorisations. The report stated that under the existing Scheme of Delegation, prosecution for non-compliance with an enforcement notice must be authorised by the Planning Committee, creating potential delays. The report recommended that the council revise the Planning scheme of delegation within the council's constitution to allow officers to authorise prosecution following non-compliance with an enforcement notice of any type.

Members Allowances

The council was scheduled to consider ceasing payment to Fenland District Council members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) Overview and Scrutiny and Audit and Governance Committees. The report noted that as a result of an Independent Remuneration Panel recommendation, the CPCA has agreed to make payments to constituent authority members of their Overview and Scrutiny and Audit and Governance Committees. The report stated that the last Fenland Members Allowances Review in December 2023 agreed to pay Fenland District Council members appointed to CPCA Committees an SRA². The report noted that three members are affected by this proposal and are now receiving two payments for the same role, one from the CPCA and one from Fenland District Council. The report recommended that the council act on the feedback of the Independent Remuneration Panel and agree to remove the SRA from the Members' Allowances Scheme for members appointed to the CPCA Overview and Scrutiny and Audit and Governance Committees, and delegate to the Monitoring Officer to update the Members' Allowances Scheme within the Constitution.

Audit and Risk Management Committee Annual Report

The council was scheduled to receive the Audit and Risk Management Committee Annual Report, to report on the commitment and effectiveness of the Audit and Risk Management Committee's work from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The report noted that a good Corporate Governance framework helps the council to deliver its Corporate Priorities, and that the role of the Audit and Risk Management Committee includes providing independent assurance of the adequacy of the governance, risk management framework and the control environment, and overseeing the financial reporting and annual governance processes. The report stated that the Committee has taken action to ensure that its members are adequately informed on key themes of the Governance Framework via regular reports including Governance, Internal Control, Risk Management, Accounts and policies, and Treasury Management. The report noted that the External Auditors provided the Statement of Accounts 2022-23 in December 2024, the Annual Auditor's Report 2022-23 in February 2024 and the Provisional Audit Plan 2024-25 in May 2025. The report stated that the Committee has been fundamental in the review and maintenance of the council's Governance Framework, and that the annual report details the matters it considered as part of its work programme for 2024-25. The report also noted that the Committee Chair has completed a review of the committee's effectiveness using a checklist compiled by CIPFA³, supported by the Head of Internal Audit.

Other Matters

The council was also scheduled to:

• Receive apologies for absence.
• Confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting of 21 July 2025.
• Receive a Civic Engagements Update.
• Receive any announcements from the Chairman of the Council and/or the Head of Paid Service.
• Receive members' declaration of any interests under the Local Code of Conduct or any interest under the Code of Conduct on Planning Matters in respect of any item to be discussed at the meeting.
• Receive questions from, and provide answers to, councillors in relation to matters which, in the opinion of the Chairman, accord with the provisions of Procedure Rules 8.4 and 8.6.
• Receive reports from and ask questions of Cabinet members with portfolio holder responsibilities, in accordance with Procedure Rules 8.1 and 8.2.