The Community Safety Scrutiny Committee reviewed the annual report from His Majesty's Senior Coroner for Greater Lincolnshire, endorsed Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Authority's Statement of Assurance for 2024/25, and reviewed reports on food standards and metrology activities undertaken by Trading Standards in 2024/25. The committee also approved its work programme for 2025 and 2026.

His Majesty's Senior Coroner Annual Report

The committee reviewed and was assured of the progress and performance of the coroner service up to 31 December 2024, hearing from Paul Smith, His Majesty's Senior Coroner for Greater Lincolnshire, who noted that 2024 had been a difficult year due to the merger of services and the impact of death certification reforms.

Smith explained that the merger of the Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire and Grimsby coroner services had resulted in a large backlog of cases, particularly in the North Lincolnshire and Grimsby area, which had suffered from a lack of resources and facilities. He reported that the service had made significant progress in reducing the backlog, completing 872 cases throughout 2024, but that there was still a long way to go. He anticipated that the backlog of cases over 12 months would be reduced to below 150 by the end of the year and almost entirely resolved by the end of 2026, with a more accurate record of the service's performance evident in 2027.

Smith also highlighted that Lincolnshire or Greater Lincolnshire holds the record for the highest number of road traffic collision deaths year on year.

Councillor Mrs J Brockway asked about the difference between a medical certificate as to the cause of death, and a death certificate, and why all deaths now had to be reported to the medical examiner or the coroner. Smith explained:

The essence of the new law is to separate those cases within which there has been a natural cause of death From those within which there is an unnatural element And at a very high level the aim is to drive those cases where there is a natural cause of death But for some of those deaths which are to some degree unnatural

Councillor K W Bamford asked about the cost and impact of the new case management system. James Chappell, Head of Registration, Celebratory and Coroners Services, responded that merging the systems had allowed them to disestablish one of them, resulting in a cost saving. He added that the system had improved efficiency across the board and was a fully integrated system for officers and coroners.

Councillor B L T Robinson asked whether the whole of the Greater Lincolnshire Coroner Service was being trained in the same way to ensure consistency and improve efficiency. Chappell confirmed that they were creating a single service and aligning processes, taking the best from both areas.

The committee agreed to receive a further update in 12 months.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Statement of Assurance 2024/25

The committee reviewed and endorsed the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Authority's Statement of Assurance 2024/25 for publication on Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue's website, hearing from Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer, who provided an overview of the report.

Baxter explained that the statement was part of the service's legislative responsibility under the Fire Service Act 2004 and the Fire and Rescue National Framework, and provided assurance on financial, governance, and operational matters. He highlighted that Lincolnshire is a large rural county with a large establishment of operational staff, and that the service is embedded within Lincolnshire County Council's governance process for financial accountability.

Baxter noted that the service's total expenditure for 2024/25 was £26.5 million, with cost pressures relating to retaining fees, Firelink services¹, and flooding incidents. He also highlighted the service's four-year strategic plan, the Community Risk Management Plan, which outlines the assessment of community risks and mitigation strategies.

Councillor R J Whittaker asked whether the risk criteria in the four-year Community Risk Management Plan had been addressed and the measures of delivery achieved in accordance with the annual service plan. Baxter confirmed that performance and progress were measured through the annual service plan, and that a report would be brought to the scrutiny committee later in the year.

Councillor Mrs J Brockway raised concerns about the high number of deaths on Lincolnshire's roads and asked whether the fire service had any input into speed awareness courses run by the police. Baxter responded that the fire service has a dedicated prevention advocate embedded within the road safety partnership and works with police colleagues on preventative measures. He noted that the fire service also delivers the Biker Down programme, which provides first aid and life-saving interventions for motorcyclists involved in accidents.

Councillor K W Bamford asked how the service benchmarks and compares itself against other services. Baxter responded that the service benchmarks against other services through its performance management board and risk and intelligence team, linking into family group services with similar demographics and regional partners.

Councillor K Cooke asked how the service was factoring the changing climate into future resource planning and emergency responses. Baxter responded that the service had procured more lightweight fire tunics for firefighters dealing with field fires and had secured additional flood pumps across the county.

Councillor K E Lee asked whether the service felt adequately resourced by the government and the authority to meet the demands it faces as a result of flooding, given that responding to flooding isn't a statutory duty. Baxter responded that he had a good level of assurance that the service was able to respond to immediate risks, but that the continual resilience of the on-call duty system was a real challenge, particularly during long, protracted, widespread incidents.

Councillor B L T Robinson asked whether the service was improving its forecast accuracy to ensure that contingency funds were truly for emergencies. Baxter responded that the service had generally been within 1% tolerance of its projected spend, except for the past year due to external pressures.

Councillor R J Whittaker asked who pays for the community resilience groups and their equipment. Baxter responded that it links in with the local lead flood authority, which secured funding from DEFRA².

Councillor N Carey asked whether the service had a drones team and whether it would consider this in the future. Baxter responded that the service had access to three drones purchased through the Local Resilience Forum, which are primarily used to support planning and exercising. He added that some on-call firefighters had been trained as drone pilots and that the service had a memorandum of understanding with Lincolnshire Police to utilise their drone capability.

Councillor A C Woodruff asked whether the service was finding issues with the retention of staff, given the length of training. Baxter responded that it was a mixed bag, with good retention within the whole-time firefighter cadre, but more of a challenge with on-call staff and specialists in technical areas such as community fire protection.

Councillor A C Woodruff asked whether the service found the well-being support for staff adequate, given the nature of the calls they attend. Baxter responded that the service had built up a robust well-being offer, with a layered approach from operational defuse sessions to counselling support.

Trading Standards Food Safety Activity 2024/25

The committee reviewed the report on the work undertaken by Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards in respect of food standards enforcement in the financial year 2024-2025.

Mark Keel, Head of Trading Standards, explained that the service is responsible for investigating and taking enforcement action in cases relating to chemical contamination, adulteration, composition, advertisement, presentation, and the promotion of food information. He noted that the service maintains a database of food businesses, which is updated regularly with details of new businesses registered with the district councils.

Keel reported that the service had been working to rationalise its database of food businesses, which had previously contained a large number of duplicate or outdated records. He explained that the service is now reassessing all premises using a new risk assessment model, which is based on inherent risk and officer confidence in management.

Keel also highlighted that the service commits about £25,000 of budget to taking food samples, focusing on areas where issues are continually found, such as allergens, substitution of more expensive meats, and illegal additives. He noted that the service had also received Food Standards Agency funding to take additional samples, focusing on allergens in cheese substitutes and caffeine supplements.

Councillor B L T Robinson asked whether there should be a shared database between Lincolnshire County Council and the district councils to avoid duplication and improve efficiency. Keel responded that it had been considered, but the barrier was the resource involved in aligning the different systems and methods used by the various authorities.

Councillor K W Bamford asked whether the service measures public confidence in food quality and how it is measured. Keel responded that it does not, but that it was something that could be considered.

Councillor K Cooke asked whether there were plans to develop an app for simple, quick reporting of food safety issues. Keel responded that they had not looked at an app, but were looking at having some means for people to report issues on the website.

Councillor N Carey asked whether businesses disclose whether their food is halal or kosher during inspections. Keel responded that it would be part of the questioning of the business and that it is often marked as such.

Councillor B L T Robinson asked whether the service could trial offering group business advice to make it cheaper for businesses to engage and ensure compliance. Keel responded that it was something that could be considered and that there were already arrangements under primary authority for trade associations to receive advice on behalf of their members.

Councillor A C Woodruff asked whether there was cross-authority communication to notify if a non-compliant business owner had businesses in other areas. Keel responded that they would try to look at that wherever they became aware.

Councillor A C Woodruff asked about the 31% non-compliance rate, whether fines were issued straight away, and whether the compliance improved on follow-up visits. Keel responded that most non-compliance is initially dealt with by way of advice and that most businesses come into compliance.

Trading Standards Metrology Activity 2024/25

The committee reviewed the report on the work undertaken by Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards in respect of legal metrology (weights and measures) enforcement in the financial year 2024-2025.

Keel reported that the service receives very few complaints in this area, as people generally assume that weighing and measuring is accurate. He noted that the service tends to focus on market surveillance, carrying out small projects in areas such as medical weighing and average quantity.

Keel highlighted that the service had worked with Lincoln County Hospital and found a generally good level of compliance, and that they were looking to expand this across the county. He also noted that retail checks on average quantity had not revealed any particular issues, but that they were planning to carry out inspections at packing sites.

Councillor K Cooke asked how the service balances enforcement with education to support local businesses in terms of compliance. Keel responded that most inspections are fact-finding and that businesses are generally happy to make amendments to come into compliance.

Councillor K E Lee commented that she was surprised to see that the service checks on medical equipment, as clinical engineering is usually very thorough. Keel responded that they had picked it up because it had been done in another East Midlands region and that the hospital was happy to discuss the issues.

Councillor K W Bamford asked how the service enforces the weight of vehicles, particularly heavy goods vehicles on rural roads. Keel responded that it is not a function that trading standards does in Lincolnshire, but rather the Lincolnshire Police.

Councillor A C Woodruff asked about the non-compliant medical equipment and whether it was down to the age of the equipment or a lack of servicing and calibrations. Keel responded that it was mainly down to wear and tear.

Community Safety Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

The committee reviewed and approved the planned work programme for 2025 and 2026, hearing from Tracy Johnson, Senior Scrutiny Officer.

Johnson reported that there were no amendments to the work programme as published, but that the running order of the next meeting on 30 September would be swapped around. She noted that the committee would first sit as the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee to consider the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy and the Stay Safe Partnership Annual Report, and then sit as the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee to consider the inspection outcomes for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and the Grenfell Tower Phase 1 and 2 reports.

Johnson also noted that the annual review of the Community Risk Management Plan was due to the committee on 24 February and that the data requested at the last meeting from the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership was in progress and would be circulated to members shortly.

Councillor Mrs J Brockway's query for reports regarding Power BI would be addressed under the service level performance reporting in quarters 1 and 2 in November.