The Policy & Performance Improvement Committee are scheduled to meet to discuss tenant satisfaction, community development, affordable housing, nature recovery, and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund¹. The committee will also review its own performance over the past year, and consider the Cabinet's forward plan.

Nottinghamshire & Nottingham Local Nature Recovery Strategy

The committee will receive an update on the Nottinghamshire & Nottingham Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). The LNRS is being prepared by Nottinghamshire County Council, and the committee will consider a recommendation to support its publication.

According to the report pack, a previous Cabinet meeting on 10 June 2025, approved a consultation response and gave delegated authority to the Portfolio Holder for Climate & the Environment to comment at the next stage of the LNRS process. However, the statutory timings of the LNRS development have shifted, allowing the committee to seek Cabinet approval to approve or object to the final LNRS publication at the Cabinet meeting of 14 October 2025.

The report pack states that there were previous concerns about:

• Overlap with sites allocated for development in the relevant local plan and overlap with existing built development (mainly in association with watercourses).
• Grassland (insufficient grassland areas).
• Wet Woodland Layer (potential measures inappropriate).
• Relationship with Biodiversity Net Gain² (correlation of habitat terminology).
• Section 2.3 of the draft Statement of Biodiversity Priorities (misleading paragraph).

The report pack says that the LNRS team has produced a supporting document to provide guidance on the relationship with biodiversity net gain. The Biodiversity and Ecology Lead Officer provided some framework information and additional comment for this. This will be provided as a separate guidance note rather than as an appendix to the LNRS as originally intended; this will allow flexibility for future amendments, and this approach is considered acceptable by officers.

The report pack also notes that following responses from the online survey and a specific landowner request an additional site encompassing several land parcels has been mapped for grassland and woodland measures at Lowfield Lane, to the south of the approved Lowfield Lane development.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund & Rural England Prosperity Fund Update

The committee will receive an update on the delivery, progress, and future of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) programme.

The UKSPF was first announced by the UK Government in July 2022, seeking to replace former EU structural funds over a three-year period, until March 2025. The programme aims to invest in domestic priorities and targeting funding where it is needed most: building pride in place, supporting high quality skills training, supporting pay, employment and productivity growth and increasing life chances.

The REPF is referred to as a 'capital top-up' to UKSPF, designed to support selected areas across England to tackle the unique rurality related challenges, such as access to opportunity, social isolation, connectivity and rural economic growth.

The report pack states that in accordance with the 2022 East Midlands Devolution Deal, the council no longer acts as the Accountable Body for the 2025/2026 UKSPF/REPF allocation. Instead, a regional UKSPF sum of £25m has been allocated to the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) to administer for the 2025/2026 financial year.

The report pack includes a table summarising the Newark and Sherwood UKSPF/REPF allocations from 2022 to 2026:

The report pack also includes a table of example UKSPF/REPF outputs and outcomes in Newark and Sherwood (to March 2025):

• 314 businesses supported
• 91 jobs safeguarded
• 24 jobs created
• 28 businesses decarbonisation plans developed
• 63 businesses with improved sustainability
• 85 businesses with improved productivity
• 6 new businesses created
• 266 residents gaining life skills
• 42 economically inactive residents newly in job searching
• 162 residents completing training courses or obtaining qualifications
• 653 residents volunteering
• Over 3000 trees planted
• 120 community events delivered
• 15 community facilites created or improved

Affordable Housing Delivery Report 2024/25

The committee will receive a report providing details of affordable housing delivery across the district for the financial year 2024/25, including progress on the 5-year Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Development Programme.

The report pack states that the delivery of additional affordable homes across the district continues to be a key objective in the Council's revised Community Plan 2023 – 2027.

The District's new Housing Strategy and Delivery Plan 2023 – 2028 further prioritises the delivery of affordable housing to meet local need stating that the council will continue to understand the need for a full range of affordable housing in the district including type, tenure and location, deliver a range of affordable homes that meet the needs of local residents and workers, work in partnership with Registered Providers (RP's), private developers and local landowners to accelerate the delivery of rural affordable housing and continue to develop new Council owned affordable housing through the extension of its 5 Year Housing Revenue Account Programme.

The report pack notes that the council has a target of 335 dwellings over five phases which will be met by July 2025 within the budget set by the council. Cabinet on the 19 September 2023, agreed to extend the HRA Development Programme to provide fifty additional units (385 units in total) subject to capacity and affordability.

The report pack states that between April 2024 and March 2025, 129 additional affordable homes have been built across the district, located in Balderton, Bilsthorpe, Rainworth, Walesby, Ollerton, Edwinstowe, Southwell and Hawtonville.

Annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures 2024/2025

The committee will receive a report presenting the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) survey report.

In November 2020, the government published the charter for social housing residents – social housing white paper which set out ways to improve things for people living in social housing. As a result of this, the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) brought in a range of tenant perception satisfaction measures so tenants could see how landlords are performing and identify which landlords might need to improve.

Landlords with 1,000+ properties are required to carry out the TSM survey annually and submit their results to the RSH by 30th June each year. The council carried out its second annual survey during 2024/25.

The summary table included in the report pack shows the latest year performance, the previous year performance (2023/24) and the direction of travel / percentage change between 2024/25 and 2023/24. Whilst some measures have declined, it is pleasing to see that many have increased, with a marked increase in satisfaction with complaints, contribution to the neighbourhood and communal areas.

Annual Outturn – Health Improvement & Community Development Teams

The committee will receive a report providing an overview of the delivery within the Health Improvement & Community Development Teams during 2024-25. A presentation is expected to be delivered at the meeting.

The Community Development and Health Improvement Teams have historically sat within the Regeneration & Housing Strategy Business Unit. A review in 2024-25 has realigned existing resource to provide a stronger focus on front line delivery in the coming years, including focusing on delivering key projects within the capital programme (Yorke Drive, Ollerton Town Centre and 3G Pitches) and enhancing the capacity within the Health Improvement (now Healthy, Active Lifestyles Team) to tackle health inequalities, including food insecurity, across the district.

The presentation will detail the range of projects and work undertaken during 2024-25, providing an insight into the impact of these teams in developing healthy, resilient and self-sufficient communities.

Policy & Performance Improvement Committee Annual Report

The committee will review and approve its annual report for 2024-25. The report provides details of the work the Policy & Performance Improvement Committee has undertaken and evidence how that work has positively impacted residents.

The report pack states that the Policy & Performance Improvement Committee's (PPIC) role is to fulfil the 'scrutiny' function required in the Cabinet model, as well as serving as an integral role in improving the work of the council. It is an open meeting, meaning public and press can attend, and the committee meets at least five times a year.

The report is separated into four key areas:

• Working groups
• Shaping policy and strategy
• Driving service improvement
• Scrutinising and questioning performance

Attendance by Portfolio Holder for Climate & the Environment

Councillor Simon Forde, Portfolio Holder for Climate & the Environment, is scheduled to attend the meeting to provide an update on their role.

The committee has requested information on:

1. To what extent is the Climate Change Action Plan reaching and succeeding in its goals and milestones?
2. What do you see as priorities for next year as we move into the budget setting process?
3. Are we on track for the rollout of domestic food waste collections from 2027?
4. Biodiversity and tree planting is a key strand of the Council's Community Plan how are we delivering?
5. Reducing the Council's carbon footprint is a key objective of the Council. How is the Council progressing to this goal?
6. What opportunities exists as a result of LGR?

Cabinet Work Programme and Recent Decisions

The committee will review the Cabinet Forward Plan (September to December 2025) and the minutes of Cabinet meetings held on 15 July and 9 September 2025.