Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Ralph Pryke.

No declarations of interest were received.

The Minutes of the Full Council meeting on 21^st July 2025 were agreed and signed by the Mayor.

The Chief Executive confirmed that no communications had been received.

The Chief Executive confirmed that no deputations or petitions had been received.

The Chief Executive advised that the following questions had been received:

1. Question to Councillor Dale Broughton from Councillor Jonathan Noble:

As a local politician who presumably supports openness and transparency in local government affairs, why did you think it appropriate to vote for a secret vote on the proposed allowance increases for Boston Borough Councillors at January’s Full Council meeting?

Response from Councillor Dale Broughton:

May I thank Cllr Noble for his question. This decision doesn't pertain to my role as Leader. The full Council considered this matter in a public meeting and voted via a paper ballot which is a permitted form of voting within the Council’s constitution.

Supplementary question from Councillor Jonathan Noble to Councillor Dale Broughton:

Mr Mayor, I think the Councillor’s response was really an exercise in semantics because he talks in his response about a paper ballot. This is, in effect, a secret vote and no doubt it was made a secret vote because some councillors didn't want their local citizens to know how they voted., Which brings me on to the second part of it, which is of course, it was all about allowances. Now, there was an Independent Panel that made certain recommendations as to allowances. I think there was an amendment put forward by Councillor Woodliffe which was accepted.

And so as a result of that we had an allowance increase for ordinary members of 25%, but there were some more incredible increases in allowances, for example, Councillor Broughton, then Deputy Leader of Boston Independents, saw a 49% increase in his allowance to £12,500 plus the basic allowance.

So I'm just asking, given that in Boston you know we are a town where there's high rents and there's low wages and there's exorbitant energy costs, how does Councillor Broughton justify this massive increase in allowances, given that the inflation rate at the time of the vote was about 3 or 4%. Thank you.

Supplementary response from Councillor Dale Broughton:

I would like to thank Councillor Noble for his supplementary. As I stated previously Councillor Noble, this was a Council decision, a Full Council decision. You seem to be assuming it was me who made all these decisions and it wasn't.

Everybody took a vote on it, so therefore I don't see why you're actually trying to say it was me who actually put these increases in. So, that’s as much as I can say. Thank you.

2. Question to Councillor Dale Broughton from Councillor Jonathan Noble:

Why did it take so long for Boston Borough Council to support East Lindsey District Council’s and South Holland District Council’s proposal for a Southern Lincolnshire Unitary Council, given that they are our partner councils?

Response from Councillor Dale Broughton:

A position was taken in March that the Council should consider what proposals were being developed for Greater Lincolnshire before deciding how it wished to position itself. Very quickly after becoming Leader, with Cabinet, we took a decision that the strongest proposal is ‘A Greater  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

The Chief Executive confirmed that no questions had been received from members of the public.

To receive the Minutes from the meeting held on 7^th July 2025.

The Mayor, as Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee, presented the draft Audit and Governance minutes from the meeting held on 7^th July 2025 for councillors to note.

(A report by Brendan Arnold, Interim Director of Finance (S151 Officer))

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Economic Growth, Councillor Sandeep Ghosh, introduced the report which presented the Council’s final outturn position for the 2024/25 financial year and sought approval for the transfer of the resulting surplus to earmarked reserves.

Members were advised that the Council had delivered a General Fund revenue surplus of £1.015 million, representing a significant improvement on the forecast position reported at Quarter 3. The surplus was attributed to a combination of disciplined cost control, delayed capital programme delivery, and higher-than-anticipated investment income.

The Portfolio Holder provided a breakdown of the key variances across service areas:

·         Leisure and Culture reported the largest underspend of £398k, primarily due to the postponement of works at the leisure pool (£272k), staffing savings across events and markets, and reduced costs in shared management and museum services.

·         Neighbourhoods achieved an underspend of £151k, with savings arising from a new vehicle washing contract, reduced fuel costs, and vacancies in street cleansing.

·         Wellbeing and Community Leadership delivered an underspend of £195k, including savings on CCTV staffing and Bed & Breakfast provision.

·         Corporate Services underspent by £84k, largely due to reduced software licensing costs.

·         Economic Growth underspent by £58k, reflecting a vacancy in the inward investment officer post.

·         Finance underspent by £64k, following a correction to the rent allowance provision.

It was noted that Governance and Monitoring had overspent by £105k, primarily due to increased Members’ allowances. General Fund Assets also reported an overspend of £210k, driven by higher repairs and maintenance costs.

In addition to service-level variances, Members were informed that:

·         Investment income exceeded expectations by £658k, due to favourable interest rates and higher cash balances resulting from capital programme slippage.

·         The capital programme underspent by £5.7 million, with unspent grant funding carried forward.

·         The Council’s earmarked reserves would increase to £19.345 million following the proposed transfer.

The Portfolio Holder confirmed that the surplus would be transferred to the Volatility Reserve, in line with the Council’s financial strategy to mitigate future risks and support budget resilience.

The recommendation was moved by Councillor Sandeep Ghosh and seconded by Councillor Stuart Evans.

Resolved:

That the transfer of the £1,015,000 General Fund surplus for 2024/25 to the Volatility Reserve be approved.

(A report by John Medler, Assistant Director – Governance & Monitoring Officer)

The Assistant Director – Governance & Monitoring Officer introduced the report, which sought Council approval for appointments to Committee Vice-Chairmanships and to outside bodies where vacancies had arisen since the Annual Meeting in May 2025. The current vacancies were attached as Appendices 1 and 2 within the report and nominations received were tabled at the meeting.

Members were advised that the following Vice-Chairmanships were vacant:

·         Audit & Governance Committee – previously held by Councillor Mike Gilbert.

·         Licensing / Regulatory & Appeals Committee – previously held by Councillor Suzanne Welberry.

Group Leaders had been invited to submit nominations in advance of the meeting. The following nominations were tabled and considered:

·         Councillor James Cantwell was nominated as Vice-Chairman of the Audit & Governance Committee.

·         Councillor Stuart Evans was nominated as Vice-Chairman of the Licensing / Regulatory & Appeals Committee.

In addition, Council was asked to consider appointments to outside bodies where vacancies had arisen:

·         Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board – two vacancies were reported.

·         Wash and North Norfolk Partnership Members Group – one vacancy was reported.

The following nominations were considered:

·         Councillors Richard Austin and Suzanne Welberry were nominated to sit on the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board.

·         Councillor Peter Bedford was nominated to sit on the Wash and North Norfolk Partnership Members Group.

Council also considered a formal invitation from the John Laughton Educational Foundation, a registered charity, to nominate a trustee to serve on its board for a five-year term. This followed recent constitutional changes to the charity.

·         Councillor Mike Gilbert was nominated as the Council’s representative trustee to the John Laughton Educational Foundation.

The recommendations were moved by Councillor Dale Broughton and seconded by Councillor David Scoot.

Councillor Anne Dorrian proposed an amendment for the Vice-Chairman of the Audit & Governance Committee and nominated Councillor Emma Cresswell. Officers confirmed that as Councillor Cresswell was not a member of the committee she was ineligible for the appointment. Councillor Cresswell subsequently nominated Councillor Dorrian and this was seconded by Councillor David Middleton.

A vote was held on the proposed amendment. The amendment was not carried. The original nominations were then put to the vote and approved. Councillor Dorrian requested that her vote against the recommendations be recorded. Councillor Stephen Woodliffe abstained from the vote.

1.    That Councillor James Cantwell be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Audit & Governance Committee for the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year;

2.    That Councillor Stuart Evans be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Licensing / Regulatory & Appeals Committee for the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year;

3.    That Councillors Richard Austin and Suzanne Welberry be appointed to the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board;

4.    That Councillor Peter Bedford be appointed to the Wash and North Norfolk Partnership Members Group; and

5.    That Councillor Mike Gilbert be appointed as the Council’s representative trustee to the John Laughton Educational Foundation for a five-year term.

(A report by James Gilbert, Assistant Director – Corporate)

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Dale Broughton, introduced the report which sought formal designation of Mr Russell Stone as the Council’s Section 151 Officer, in accordance with Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972.

Members were advised that Mr Stone had been appointed as Director of Finance for the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership following a competitive recruitment process undertaken by the Joint Chief Officer Employment Panel. His appointment had been supported by all three partner councils and was due to commence on 3^rd November 2025.

The designation of a Section 151 Officer was a statutory requirement and would ensure continuity in the Council’s financial governance arrangements. The designation would also apply across the Partnership, with each authority confirming the appointment through its own governance processes.

The Leader paid tribute to the outgoing Interim Director of Finance, Mr Brendan Arnold, acknowledging his significant contribution to the Council’s financial stability and performance during his tenure.

During debate, the following queries regarding the recruitment process were asked:

·       What had been the cost of engaging the executive search firm, Gatenby Sanderson, to support the appointment?

·       Which local authority Mr Stone had previously served as Chief Financial Officer for 15 years, as referenced in the report?

·       Why East Lindsey District Council did not appear to have been consulted on the designation, given its role as a partner authority?

In response, the Leader confirmed that East Lindsey District Council had been represented on the Joint Chief Officer Employment Panel and had participated fully in the recruitment process. He undertook to provide written responses to the remaining questions regarding costs and Mr Stone’s employment history.

The recommendation was moved by Councillor Dale Broughton and seconded by Councillor Mike Gilbert.

Resolved:

That Mr Russell Stone be designated as Boston Borough Council’s Section 151 Officer with effect from 3^rd November 2025.

(A report by James Gilbert, Assistant Director – Corporate)

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Dale Broughton, introduced the six-monthly performance report for the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership (SELCP), which provided an update on progress against the Alignment and Delivery Plan for 2025/26.

Members were advised that of the 102 activities set out in the plan, 82% were either completed or on track, with the remainder subject to revised timelines or external dependencies. The Partnership had secured £9.03 million in external funding during the first quarter of the financial year, supporting a range of strategic initiatives across Boston Borough Council, East Lindsey District Council, and South Holland District Council.

Councillor Broughton highlighted that the Partnership remained on course to deliver cumulative efficiency savings of £39.17 million by 2032, with further opportunities being explored through shared service development, digital transformation, and workforce alignment. He emphasised that the collaborative model continued to strengthen the councils’ regional influence and ability to attract investment.

The recommendation was moved by Councillor Dale Broughton and seconded by Councillor Sandeep Ghosh.

Resolved:

That the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership Performance Report for 2025/26 be noted.

Under the previous administration Councillor David Middleton was appointed as Chairman of the Planning Committee of Boston Borough Council on Monday 19/5/2025.

It is proposed that he is replaced by Councillor Peter Bedford.

Councillor Bedford has had 8 years’ experience as Chairman of Planning Committee as well as 7 years as Portfolio Holder of Planning and Development, after first being elected as Coastal Ward councillor in 1991.

He has experience of steering through complex planning applications, whilst maintaining both the integrity of the Boston Borough Council planning process as well as retaining the public confidence in this Council.

We therefore move that:-

The Council resolves to remove Councillor David Middleton as Chairman of the Planning Committee of Boston Borough Council, and appoint Councillor Peter Bedford as the new Chairman of the Planning Committee with immediate effect.

Proposer: Helen Staples

Seconder: Sarah Sharpe

The following Motion was received:

Planning Committee Chairman

Under the previous administration Councillor David Middleton was appointed as Chairman of the Planning Committee of Boston Borough Council on Monday 19/5/2025.

It is proposed that he is replaced by Councillor Peter Bedford.

Councillor Bedford has had 8 years’ experience as Chairman of Planning Committee as well as 7 years as Portfolio Holder of Planning and Development, after first being elected as Coastal Ward councillor in 1991.

He has experience of steering through complex planning applications, whilst maintaining both the integrity of the Boston Borough Council planning process as well as retaining the public confidence in this Council.

We therefore move that:-

The Council resolves to remove Councillor David Middleton as Chairman of the Planning Committee of Boston Borough Council, and appoint Councillor Peter Bedford as the new Chairman of the Planning Committee with immediate effect.

The motion was moved by Councillor Helen Staples and seconded by Councillor Sarah Sharpe.

Councillor David Middleton addressed the Council, expressing disappointment at the proposal and outlining the improvements made to the Planning Committee during his tenure. He highlighted the committee’s strong performance record, including timely decision-making, reduced appeal rates, and enhanced member training. He also referenced his efforts to strengthen collaboration between officers and members and to ensure that planning decisions were made in accordance with legislation and policy. Councillor Middleton stated that he had taken pride in chairing the committee and believed the motion was not reflective of the committee’s achievements under his leadership.

During debate, a range of views were expressed. Some Members supported the motion, citing concerns about the tone and conduct of recent meetings and the need for a refreshed approach to public engagement. It was suggested that the committee would benefit from experienced leadership and a renewed focus on professionalism and consistency.

Other Members opposed the motion, questioning the rationale for the change and expressing concern about the process by which it had been brought forward. It was argued that the committee had operated effectively under Councillor Middleton’s chairmanship and that the motion risked undermining continuity and stability.

Resolved:

That Councillor David Middleton be removed as Chairman of the Planning Committee and that Councillor Peter Bedford be appointed as Chairman of the Planning Committee, for the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year, with immediate effect.