The Leicestershire County Council meeting on 24 September 2025 was scheduled to address a range of issues, including the revision of the council's constitution, and motions concerning the protection of rural communities and homes from flooding. Councillors were also due to answer questions from the public and consider reports from various committees.

Notices of Motion

Two notices of motion were scheduled to be discussed:

Protecting Rural Communities from the Impact of Reckless Tax Reform

Councillor Deborah Taylor CC put forward a motion regarding the impact of tax reform on rural communities. The motion noted the closure of numerous agriculture, forestry, and fishing businesses following the Chancellor's announcement to reduce inheritance tax relief for family farms.

The council was asked to consider:

• Condemning the Chancellor's decision and call for its reversal.
• Demanding emergency support for affected rural businesses.
• Requesting a full impact assessment on rural business viability.
• Committing to stand in solidarity with farming families and rural workers.

Protecting Homes from Flooding in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Councillor Naomi Bottomley CC proposed a motion addressing flood prevention and resilience in light of the government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The motion highlighted the increasing frequency and severity of flooding events due to climate change and the limitations of local planning authorities in ensuring flood-resilient developments.

The council was asked to consider:

• Writing to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and local MPs, calling for amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to:
  • Strengthen requirements on developers to use sustainable drainage solutions.
  • Give councils clear powers to refuse developments with inadequate flood risk management plans.
  • Provide long-term, ring-fenced funding for councils to invest in flood prevention measures.
• Working with neighbouring councils and the Local Government Association to lobby for stronger national policy on flooding and planning.

Report of the Constitution Committee

The council was scheduled to consider a report from the Constitution Committee regarding a revision of the constitution.

Review of Scrutiny Arrangements

The report detailed proposed changes to the terms of reference for the council's overview and scrutiny committees. These changes were prompted by the election and the appointment of the Leader's cabinet, requiring alignment with the newly appointed cabinet lead member portfolios.

A key proposal involved renaming the Environment and Climate Change Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Two options were presented:

• Changing the name to the 'Environment and Flooding Overview and Scrutiny Committee' and including climate change in its terms of reference.
• Changing the name to the 'Environment, Flooding and Climate Change Overview and Scrutiny Committee' and including climate change in its terms of reference.

The Constitution Committee agreed to the second option.

The Scrutiny Commission's terms of reference were also amended to clarify its remit regarding property energy efficiency matters. References to the Leicester and Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership^1 and the Leicester and Leicestershire Transport Board were removed and replaced with the establishment of the Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership.

The Adults and Communities and Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committees' terms of reference were scheduled to remain unchanged.