The Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to meet to discuss carbon emissions, food waste collection, air quality, a corporate enforcement policy and tree planting proposals. The meeting was also scheduled to include updates from the Leader of the Council, Cabinet Members, or the Head of Paid Service, and a review of the Committee's work programme for 2025-2026.

Here's a breakdown of the main topics that were listed for discussion:

Tree Planting Proposals

The committee were scheduled to discuss the council's tree planting programme for the 2025/26 season. The report pack included details of planned planting numbers, locations, and delivery methods. It also described how planting sites had been selected to ensure fair distribution across the district, and outlined future improvements to site selection using canopy cover data and the Woodland Trust's 'Tree Equity Scores'.

The report pack noted that South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) adopted a Tree and Woodland Strategy in 2024, committing the council to increasing tree canopy cover across the district, and ensuring planting reaches communities that currently lack canopy cover.

The proposed planting sites for 2025/26 were listed as:

• Princess Drive, Grantham
• Trent Road Play Area, Earlsfield, Grantham
• Wingate Way, Bourne
• Ash Grove, Bourne
• Kesteven Road, Stamford
• Stamford Leisure Pool
• St. Martins Graveyard, Stamford
• Burchnall Close, Deeping St. James
• Broadgate Lane, Deeping St. James
• Langtoft Recreation Ground
• Throughton Park Play Area, South Witham

In addition to planting individual amenity trees, the council was also scheduled to discuss two larger schemes in the Grantham area: Blessed Hugh Moore and Brittain Drive, and a small hedge planting proposal in Witham on the Hill.

Corporate Enforcement Policy

The committee were scheduled to discuss a new draft Corporate Enforcement Policy. The policy was described in the report pack as a full revision of the 2017 policy, covering enforcement activities across all the Council's Regulatory Services. It sets out what regulated businesses and individuals can expect from the Council in terms of regulation, and is based on the guiding principles of consistency, transparency, proportionality, and accountability.

The policy was scheduled to apply to functions carried out within the following Regulatory Services:

• Public Protection (including Environmental Health, Environmental Protection, Private Sector Housing, Community Safety (Neighbourhoods) and Licensing)
• Development Management
• Building Control
• Finance
• Tenancy Services

The report pack stated that the Policy also incorporates three other SKDC Enforcement Policies as specific content within the appendices, to aid ease of reference and consistent application of approach:

• Enviro Crime Enforcement Policy (adopted April 2018)
• Environmental Services Enforcement Policy (dated February 2017)
• Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy (dated November 2018)

The report pack also noted that within Appendix A of the Policy a Flytipping and Littering fixed penalty matrix was proposed, and that if the matrix was adopted, SKDC would be trialling this approach for Lincolnshire.

Carbon Emissions Update

The committee were scheduled to receive an update on South Kesteven District Council's carbon emissions for 2024/25. The climate and carbon dashboard provides an overview of the council's operational carbon emissions for the 2024/25 period, including progress against the Council's carbon reduction targets of at least 30% by 2030.

The report pack stated that in September 2019, South Kesteven District Council formally declared a climate emergency with cross party support, and agreed to reduce its operational carbon emissions by at least 30% by 2030, and to endeavour to become net zero as soon as viable before 2050.

The council's overall footprint for the 2024/25 financial year was reported as 5,378 tCO2e[^2]. This is a decrease of 302 tonnes of carbon since the last reporting year and an overall reduction in carbon emissions of 29.24%, or 2222 tonnes, since the baseline year.

The report pack also noted that the council had observed a 55.09% reduction in carbon emissions associated with electricity use since the baseline year of 2018/19, and that gas consumption across the Council had decreased over the last financial year, further reducing the Council's carbon emissions for the category by 15.43% since the baseline.

The report pack stated that consistent with the last reporting year, the fleet remains the greatest single emission category with 36% of the Council's emissions attributed to this category.

Whilst fuel consumption and associated carbon emissions has remained broadly static, the adoption of a Green Fleet Strategy and an accompanying action plan has meant that future priorities will focus on reducing emissions associated with the fleet

The report pack also noted that the council had seen an uplift in refrigerant-related carbon emissions by 78 tonnes for 2024/25, attributed to several refrigerant gas leaks from equipment over the course of the current reporting period, the most significant of which have been attributed to two Calorex units on site at the Grantham Meres Leisure Centre.

Food Waste Update

The committee were scheduled to receive an update on the progress of the weekly food waste collection service rollout. The introduction of this service is mandated by the Environment Act 2021.

The report pack stated that on the 29th November 2024 the Government announced the new default requirements for business and household waste collections under the Simpler Recycling collection reforms, which form part of the updated Environment Act 2021.

The new default requirements include four containers for:

1. Residual (non-recyclable) waste,
2. Food waste,
3. Paper and card,
4. All other dry recyclable materials (plastic, metal and glass).

The report pack noted that SKDC will introduce the service from Monday 13th April 2026, as part of a staggered rollout across Lincolnshire which ensures disposal facilities are not overwhelmed.

The report pack also stated that the council has received £ 1,371,150 in capital funding from central Government to establish the food waste collections, but that the total cost of capital purchases (vehicles + caddies) is £1,543,000; around £171,850 more than the payment from DEFRA.

Air Quality Annual Update

The committee were scheduled to receive the Annual Air Quality Status Report (ASR 2025), and an update on the proposals for Management Area (order No.6) (AQMA).

The report pack stated that under the Environment Act 1995 and the associated Local Air Quality Management Framework, local authorities have a duty to review and assess air quality against National Air Quality Standards. When a pollutant fails to comply with an objective and there is relevant public exposure, an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) must be declared and an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) prepared, detailing measures which will be implemented to improve air quality in the designated area.

The report pack noted that South Kesteven District Council declared an AQMA in 2013 encompassing the main roads in the town centre of Grantham. The main pollutant of concern is Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), which is largely attributable to road transport emissions, with cars being the dominant source within the AQMA.

The report pack stated that the 2025 ASR has identified that during 2024 there were no exceedances of the 1 hour mean objective when using annual mean as a proxy for hourly mean, and that there is compliance with the annual mean objective for nitrogen dioxide NO2 at all fifty eight passive monitoring tubes across the thirty-five monitoring locations.

The report pack noted that within the 'conclusions and priorities' section of the 2025 ASR report it recommends that the Council continue to use the passive monitoring network to monitor air quality levels, and to ensure that compliance is maintained throughout the District, and to continue to consider amending AQMA No.6 to remove the pollution declaration of 1- hour NO2 mean exceedances and potential revocation of the AQMA.