The Community Safety Scrutiny Committee of Lincolnshire Council scheduled a meeting to discuss the Lincolnshire County Council's Section 17 Crime and Disorder Strategy, an update of the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Control Programme, and trading standards regarding animal health, welfare and feed activity. The committee also planned to review service level performance and its work programme.

Lincolnshire County Council's Section 17 Crime and Disorder Strategy

The committee was scheduled to review Lincolnshire County Council's Section 17 Crime and Disorder Strategy, before it was due to be presented to the Executive¹ for a decision on 2 December 2025, and then to the County Council for approval on 19 December 2025. The strategy outlines the council's responsibilities under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which requires local authorities to consider the impact of their decisions on crime and disorder. The strategy was intended to promote a whole-organisation approach to crime prevention, community safety and harm reduction. It was also intended to strengthen multi-agency collaboration, accountability and performance monitoring.

The report pack stated that each directorate had been involved in the development of the strategy, having nominated a single point of contact.

The strategy sets out objectives including:

• Ensuring all council services consider the impact of their work on crime and disorder
• Promoting proactive measures to prevent crime, anti-social behaviour, and exploitation
• Strengthening multi-agency collaboration to address complex risks and vulnerabilities
• Equipping staff with the knowledge and tools to fulfil their Section 17 Responsibilities
• Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of crime prevention across the authority

The report pack also included a draft of the Lincolnshire County Council Section 17 Crime and Disorder Strategy 2025. The strategy stated that Lincolnshire County Council recognised its statutory duty under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which requires all local authorities to consider the impact of their decisions and actions on crime and disorder, including anti-social behaviour, substance misuse, and reoffending.

The strategy's objectives were listed as:

1. Ensure All Council Services Consider the Impact of Their Work on Crime and Disorder
2. Promote Proactive Measures to Prevent Crime, Anti-Social Behaviour, and Exploitation
3. Strengthen Multi-Agency Collaboration to Address Complex Risks and Vulnerabilities
4. Equip Staff with the Knowledge and Tools to Fulfil Their Section 17 Responsibilities
5. Monitor and Evaluate the Effectiveness of Crime Prevention Across the Authority

The strategy also detailed how each directorate contributes to the overall Section 17 crime and disorder responsibilities within the priority areas of prevention, early intervention, responding to risk and harm and long-term support and recovery.

Update of LFR Control Programme

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue (LFR) Control Programme. The committee was invited to consider Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue's procurement of Station End Equipment (SEE) and Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) Software, before a decision by the Executive Councillors for Community Safety and Resources.

The report pack stated that LFR's control operations handle emergency calls and mobilise resources. These operations previously depended on systems provided by the East Coast and Hertfordshire Control Room Consortium (ECHCRC). LFR mobilised a programme to manage the procurement and implementation of a replacement solution and the transition of LFR's control operations to it. The programme scope included the replacement of analogue telephony, replacement of Station End Equipment (SEE) and Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs), the re-establishment of a secondary control room and implementation of a rota and availability system.

The report pack stated that the control room element procured under that contract was currently being implemented, and that it had been decided to procure the SEE and MDTs separately. It was proposed that:

• the SEE is procured via an Open Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023
• the MDT Software is procured via Open Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023.

The Executive Councillor for Community Safety was asked to approve:

• the undertaking of a procurement process for the provision and support of replacement SEE on behalf of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue for a contract term of seven years, plus extensions of two periods of up to two years in total, for the whole life value of approximately £1,540,000.
• the undertaking of a procurement process for the provision and support of replacement MDT software on behalf of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue for a contract term of seven years, plus extensions of two periods of up to two years in total, for the whole life value of approximately £630,000.
• delegating to the Chief Fire Officer, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Community Safety, the authority to take all relevant decisions necessary to progress the procurements up to and including determination of the final form contracts and the award and execution of those contracts and any other documentation necessary to deliver the procurements.
• delegating to the Chief Fire Officer, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Community Safety, the authority to agree an extension to the current contract for a period of no more than one year at the approximate value of £77,000.

The report pack listed the alternatives considered as:

• Do Nothing
• Implementation Under the existing Control Room contract with SSS Public Safety / NEC Software Solutions
• Single procurement combining SEE & MDT
• Joint Procurement with another Fire Service
• Frameworks

The report pack stated that the re-procurement of the control systems, associated hardware, infrastructure and support would enable LFR to fulfil its statutory obligations and to keep the communities of Lincolnshire safe and well.

Trading Standards - Animal Health & Welfare and Feed Activity 2024-2025

The committee was scheduled to receive a report from Mark Keal, Head of Trading Standards, regarding the delivery of Trading Standards activity relating to Animal Health and Welfare, and Feed Activity in 2024/25.

The report pack stated that the enforcement of Feed and Animal Health & Welfare (AH&W) is covered by the Agriculture Team in Trading Standards, which comprised one Principal Officer and three Trading Standards (TS) officers.

The report pack stated that feed-related enforcement is primarily funded, either through the Food Standards Agency (FSA) or income generated through pay-as-you-go services and Primary Authority partnerships, enabling a proactive approach. However, with no direct funding for AH&W work, enforcement in this area is predominantly reactive.

The report pack stated that Lincolnshire Trading Standards had signed up to the Animal Health and Welfare Framework Agreement.

The report pack included details of:

• complaints received by Trading Standards relating to AH&W in 2024-2025
• inspections carried out
• regional and national collaboration
• contingency planning and notifiable disease outbreaks
• developing and maintaining officer competency
• feed premise inspections & interventions
• feed complaints
• home authority principle/ primary authority principle
• advice to business
• feed sampling
• food safety or feed safety incidents
• liaison with other organisations
• feed standards promotion

Service Level Performance Reporting against the Performance Framework 2025-26 as at Quarter 2

The committee was scheduled to receive a report summarising the Service Level Performance against the Success Framework 2025-26 for Quarters 1 and 2.

The report pack stated that the report detailed the Service Level Performance measures for the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee that can reported as at Quarter 2.

• 3 measures exceeded their target
• 2 measures achieved their target
• 5 measures did not meet their target
• 9 measures do not have a target (contextual)

The report pack included details of performance in the areas of:

• Fire Safety
• Emergency Planning
• Safer Communities
• Coroners and Registrations
• Volunteering

Community Safety Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to consider its work programme, to ensure that scrutiny activity is focused where it can be of greatest benefit.