Boston Borough Council was scheduled to discuss a new statement of licensing policy, a review of HR policies, and changes to committee membership at its full council meeting. Councillors were also expected to discuss appointments to outside bodies.

Licensing Act 2003 - Statement of Licensing Policy

The council was scheduled to consider adopting a new Statement of Licensing Policy as required by section 5 of the Licensing Act 2003. The policy sets out the principles the council proposes to apply when exercising its functions under the act. A report included in the agenda pack noted that the council is required to review the Statement of Licensing Policy every five years, with the review to be completed by the end of January 2026.

The proposed statement was scheduled to be presented to the council along with a recommendation for adoption and publication, following consideration of consultation responses by the Licensing Committee on 23 September 2025. According to the report, the Licensing Committee had resolved that the statement be consulted on at a meeting on 10 June 2025, and consultation took place between 23 June 2025 and 17 August 2025.

The proposed policy included several additions and amendments, including:

• Additional wording referencing the need for applicants to demonstrate knowledge of the area, including information relating to any Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in place.
• A recommendation that premises selling alcohol for consumption off the premises provide waterproof labelling detailing the premises name and address on cans and bottles of beer, lager and cider.
• The addition of all forms of government-issued digital ID documents to the list of acceptable documents for age verification policies.
• Additional paragraphs relating to the review of licences where there is evidence of criminal activity that falls outside of the direct remit of the Licensing Act 2003.

The report stated that the proposed policy had been drafted in accordance with legislation and statutory guidance and is broadly similar to the policies of South Holland District Council and East Lindsey District Council.

Review of HR Policies

The council was scheduled to consider a report seeking approval for a revised HR policy, the Pensions & Pensions Discretions Policy. The policy was developed by Public Sector Partnership Services (PSPS), with input from a Readers' Panel consisting of officers and trade union representatives.

The report stated that the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is governed by a series of regulations, including the LGPS Regulations 2013 and the LGPS Transitional Regulation 2014, and that employers participating in the LGPS are legally required to prepare, publish and keep under review a written policy statement on how they will exercise certain discretionary powers under these regulations.

The report noted that the policy had been reviewed by an internal Reader's Panel of officers from across the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, trade unions, the Senior Leadership Team and Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and that the policy had their support.

The report also included a summary of the mandatory and non-mandatory discretions, the current provision, and the recommendations as covered by the policy.

Democratic Arrangements

The council was scheduled to review committee, panel and working group seat allocation and make appointments in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, and to make appointments to outside bodies where vacancies have arisen.

According to the report, on 13 October 2025, the Proper Officer received notice that Councillor Anton Dani had joined the Progressive Independent Group, alongside a request for a review of committee seats.

The report set out the legal requirements for the allocation of seats to political groups and the principles to be applied when determining seat allocations.

The council was also scheduled to consider appointments to outside bodies where vacancies have arisen, including the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board and the Witham Fourth Internal Drainage Board.

Additionally, the council was asked to consider a vacancy for a Trustee of the Thomas Sanderson Charity, with appointments made for a term of four years, running until May 2027.