The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to meet to discuss the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership's (SELCP) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, the South and East Lincolnshire Council's Crowdfunding Scheme, and the Partnership Body Worn Video Policy. Also on the agenda was the Quarter 4 2024/25 Performance and Risk Report, and the committee's work programme and forward plan.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to review and provide feedback on the revised Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy and Action Plan for the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.

The EDI Strategy 2025-2028 document, included as Appendix A - Equality Diversity Inclusion Strategy Document, was developed after consultation with stakeholders, including the workforce, councillors, residents, and partners such as Lincs Digital, Citizens Advice, and Shine Lincolnshire. It aims to improve service provision to ensure services are accessible to all. The strategy includes a high-level action plan, Appendix B - High-level Action Plan, for effective implementation.

The strategy outlines the councils' commitment to delivering services inclusively and fairly, with a workforce that reflects the local population. It builds upon best practice set out in the Local Government Association (LGA) Equality Framework and aims to meet obligations under the Equality Act 2010¹.

The strategy's objectives are:

• To understand the needs of communities and bring local people together.
• To create a diverse and inclusive leadership team and embed inclusion in decision-making.
• To ensure council services meet the diverse needs of residents and make it easy for local residents to access services.
• To be an inclusive and fair employer with a diverse workforce at all levels.

The report pack stated that the EDI Strategy had been revised following the committee's previous review, with changes made to use clearer language, broaden the scope of inclusion, and ensure the accuracy and consistency of demographic data.

South and East Lincolnshire Council's Crowdfunding Scheme

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to receive an overview of the first two years of the South and East Lincolnshire Council's Crowdfunding Scheme.

The South and East Lincolnshire Crowd, was launched in Spring 2023 in partnership with Spacehive², and is designed to support community groups raising funds for local projects. The report pack included an impact report, Appendix A- Impact report Crowdfund, with the following headlines:

• 10 projects supported
• 395 backers
• 90% success rate

The report pack stated that the overall project total value was £105,497, with a total crowd contribution of £59,267.

The report pack also included a Climate Change and Environment Impact Assessment Tool, Appendx B - Climate Change and Environmental Impact Assesment, which stated that the Partnership has committed to being Net Zero by 2040.

South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership Body Worn Video (BWV) Policy 2025

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to consider a new Body Worn Video (BWV) Policy across the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.

The report pack stated that the purpose of this policy is to ensure that the operational use of BWV is lawful, proportionate, legitimate and necessary, and that it will only be used when deemed necessary for the purposes of violence reduction or evidence collection by trained staff in accordance with legislation, policy and procedures. It sets out roles and responsibilities, and provides staff with the correct procedures for collecting, downloading, processing and presenting video evidence, and appropriate retention.

The report pack included the South East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership Body Worn Video BWV Policy 2025, a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), Appendix B - DPIA, and a BWV FAQ, Appendix C - BWV FAQ.

The policy stated that the use of BWV will be proportionate, legitimate, necessary and justifiable, and that operating BWV should have due regard to the principle that everyone has the right to respect for his or her private and family life and their home.

The BWV FAQ document stated that the Boston Borough Council is seen as Data Controller for much of the CCTV and management of that footage in the first instance, and that each separate council is Data Controller for footage collected and downloaded for use by service teams for enforcement.

Quarter 4 24/25 Performance and Risk Report

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to receive an update on performance as at the end of March 2025.

The Quarter 4 24-25 Performance Report provided an update on performance against the strategic priorities of the Partnership and the individual councils. The report included 95 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Boston Borough Council in 2024/25, set out by priority, and stated that there were 29 targeted indicators where performance is within the direct control of the council.

The report also provided responses to questions raised at previous meetings, including clarifications on swimming lesson numbers, housing benefit error rates, council tax property numbers, and the council's call back function.

Work Programme and Forward Plan

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to note and discuss the committee's current work programme and the forward plan.

The OS Work Programme 2025-26 included a list of agenda items for future meetings, and the Forward Plan July 2025 to June 2026 provided a forecast of decisions expected to be taken by the Cabinet in the next twelve months.