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Greetings friends and Colleagues!
Independent Group Elections 2025: Polls OPEN!
After a well-attended Group hustings both in-person and online, the polls have now opened for our Independent Group Elections with the ballot link being sent out last Wednesday to all out members. If you missed our hustings, you can view a recording now available online. There are eight people standing for Leader of the Independent Group and four for Deputy. Fantastic to see so much talent among my friends and colleagues, and ready to do more for our fellow councillors and our councils. Thank you all for your support over the years and thank you colleagues for stepping forward now. With so many candidates, the result may be close, probably making this the biggest election turnout yet!
Your unique voting link from our elections team shows you who is standing and their personal statements and campaign material. If you have not received your voting link yet or you are having problems submitting your vote, please do get in touch as soon as possible. We want everyone to have their say in these important elections! As a reminder, here is a list of the candidates standing for election.
Solar Industry online meeting
Thank you if you were able to attend the meeting earlier this week to discuss concerns about the vast scale of global industry occupying farmland, while roofs lie empty, new build still inefficient and current dwellings without the necessary incentives. If you would like a recording of the video, please let us know. I am grateful to LGA officers: Eamon Lally, Nick Porter and Andrew Richmond as well as Councillor Tom Daly, East Suffolk Council (Cabinet Member for Energy and Climate Change) for attending and contributing. You might be interested to read the latest report produced by the LGA Empowering Local Climate Action, Advice to Government, which presents advice on how to build collaboration between the UK Government and councils and among other things, the report recommends all new build homes should include rooftop solar panels. You might also like to consider adopting my own draft motion and tailoring specifically for your own local authority, if like Lincolnshire, you are under threat from the solar industry. The full text is below.
As an example, our County Council raised objections to 3,100 acres of solar industry on 42% best and most versatile farmland. UK Reform new Chairman of planning starts the application at 30 minutes, the officer introduced the report until 50 mins and Councillors speak at 51 mins, starting with me. The regional policy framework set by Ofgem was published in April 25, to enable the National Energy Strategic Operator (NESO) to create and implement Regional Energy Plans with indicative amounts of development for each area, to stop some areas, being over-loaded and still far from where the energy is needed. A useful source of information you might join is the UK Solar Alliance, informing various groups registered from across the country.
MP’s have held two or three debates in parliament, the most recent here. Only Labour still seems to be encouraging this global takeover of our farmland with outdated industrial development and making us pay high prices in long-term contracts.
Todays announcement for £14bn for Sizewell C is another example of trying to reduce emissions, by starting with a massive increase in emissions – and the lack of overall strategy makes for a very worrying picture. With no working strategy, some areas are hit with solar industry and nuclear as well as high demands for more housing! By the way, Lincolnshire has just pulled out of the working group for a nuclear dump taking 110,000 acres under the sea and 3,000 acres onshore.
Draft Motion against over-development of solar industry on farmland
This Council notes;
- The positive contribution solar power can make to the renewable energy mix, but that large scale solar industrial developments on farmland risks making large areas of good farmland unusable, posing a serious risk to the future of farming in England.
- The risks that large scale solar industry represents to farming also pose knock-on effects and risks for tourism, food security, natural landscapes, rural economies and culture.
- Solar industries offer very little by way of economic benefit to the communities, due to limited construction period and minimal maintenance requirements, often bringing in their own skilled staff from other parts of the country or abroad.
- England has the opportunity to be a global leader in the future of renewable energy generation in a way that should offer tangible benefits to our communities.
- Building the substation, solar and battery installations adds to our carbon footprint, especially when production is coal-fired in China, and will therefore detract from our ability to meet net zero by 2030. We need to be more fleet of foot.
- This technology is developing fast, so tying ourselves into expensive, long term contracts on soon-outdated equipment also blocks our ability to adopt new, light and adaptable technologies.
This Council believes;
- Solar has an important role to play as part of a mix of renewable energy generation across the country, but there are more innovative ways of developing solar industry than damaging large scale solar on good agricultural land.
- UK Governments should draw on the many international examples of how to use solar, without causing harm to other key sectors and industries in the local communities.
- Individuals, households, businesses, public bodies and other organisations should be better supported incentivised and empowered to install solar, on roofs rather than land, contributing to the objective of reaching net zero by 2030.
This Council calls on Government;
- To develop a strategic approach across the country, where agricultural areas like North Kesteven do not become dumping grounds for excessive development.
- To improve planning policy to create a sequential test on land use, so that roofs, car parks and other developed areas are prioritised over open countryside farmland and production is close to where the energy is needed.
- Include genuine community benefits and restrictions on large-scale developments on well-functioning farmland.
- To develop further schemes and price guarantees that encourage households, businesses, public bodies and other organisations to invest in solar on roofs, industrial areas or indeed, almost any built environment.
- To acknowledge the importance of using good quality agricultural land to produce food in a sustainable way and that this becomes an integral part of our national policy of food security and our national strategy on energy.
Further, this Council works with the County Council in developing an energy statement, which enables NK to reach its Net Zero target by 2030, without damaging our rural heritage, including damage to agriculture and tourism on which we depend.
Date for the Diary: LGA new members event!
The LGA is planning its next welcome event for new members on 19 June from 5-7pm. An introduction to the LGA as an organisation, its sector-led improvement offer as well as how the Independent Group Office can support you as valued members of our grouping. You will have the opportunity meet the Group Office members of staff as well as members of the Executive team, who will be happy to help and answer any further questions or queries. Booking is now open!
Latest on Government announcements on Planning and the EU deal
On two big national issues where you and I need to influence, I started by asking for the LGA current response to the planning bill and the EU deal. Here’s what our Policy Team gave me. Our board lead on local infrastructure and net zero is Councillor Loic Ric and I encourage you to get involved in our Think Tank discussions on these issues.
Planning
“The LGA supports the ambition of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to speed up infrastructure delivery, improve planning processes, and introduce new approaches to energy and transport infrastructure. The Bill includes several long-standing LGA asks, such as making it easier for councils to purchase vacant land for housebuilding, localising planning fees, and increasing planning capacity. These measures have the potential to support councils in delivering the homes and infrastructure communities need. However, concerns remain about how the Bill will ensure that councils – who best understand the needs of their areas – remain central to the planning process. The democratic role of councillors in decision-making is the foundation of the English planning system, and any reforms must safeguard local oversight and transparency.”
I note it is unclear what new approaches to energy and transport infrastructure we are seeking. I did contribute to the consultation on “Planning for New Energy Infrastructure” which has just closed, so work will be taking place now - a good time to get busy in Westminster!
EU/UK Deal: Summit and Common Understanding
“On 19 May 2025 the first UK-EU Summit was held in London. Certain aspects of the agreements could have implications for English local councils and their communities, but detailed terms still need to be clarified, including the policy areas to be subject to “dynamic alignment” (where UK rules automatically follow changes to EU law). The LGA will continue to work on these topics in both London and Brussels to ensure that the interests of councils shape the final terms and future implementation. A UK-EU local government contact group has just been re-established and given a new five-year mandate (2025 to 2030) to ensure a formal institutional channel for this local government work.”
We previously lobbied effectively to uphold environmental and food standards, aligned to the EU, to enable trade. Please see the Government “explainer” which gives an accessible overview of each segment of the package. Thanks to Richard Kitt in Brussels for his briefing and his work on our behalf.
Pathways to Planning – Find new recruits and get the first year paid!
We at the LGA, have raised the difficulties in recruitment for local planning authorities so we have produced an attractive graduate recruitment programme, called Pathways to Planning. Graduates will be ready to hit the ground running in September 2025, and each comes with a £40,000 salary bursary to cover their first year with your council. You’ll just need to commit to funding their salary in the second year. On top of that, every graduate also receives over £10,000 in educational bursaries to support their study on an RTPI-accredited postgraduate course. The deadline is 18 June 2025, but places are allocated on a first come, first served basis! Please sign up for the opportunity to bring fresh talent and energy to your planning team
Local Plan Roundtables
Having a local plan that demonstrates how you are going to meet the new housing targets, means more wins at appeals, and some control over the developer “free for all” that can so easily arise. With a new Dec 2026 deadline, most councils need to be working on their Local Plan. The LGA has a “Planning Advisory Service” (PAS) now hosting a Leaders’ Local Plan network. You can join by emailing the PAS team. You can read about it here.
Now PAS is holding a series of online roundtables on the challenges and risk mitigation for local plan production in the current plans system. This is an opportunity for local plan leaders and officers to explore plan preparation issues working towards December 2026 submission and to hear from other councils on how they are navigating this. The sessions are grouped regionally.
Independent Group Annual General Meeting, 10am – 11.30am, Tuesday 1 July, Liverpool
Notice is hereby given that our Independent Group Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on the first day of the LGA Annual Conference in Liverpool on Tuesday 1 July, from 10am until 11.30am.
Attending in person the Independent Group AGM/LGA General Assembly only
Our members can attend the Independent Group AGM and/or the LGA General Assembly only, in person, at the LGA Annual Conference in Liverpool without paying for a ticket to the conference. Please note there will not be access to the rest of the conference.
To attend the Independent Group AGM only in person please register using this link.
Please note that the deadline to register to attend the AGM only, not the whole conference, is 13 June. We will not be able to accept applications after this date.
To attend the LGA General Assembly as well, your council needs to register you separately.
Our members can also attend the Independent Group AGM online. The Independent Group Office is currently finalising the process for attending the AGM online and further details will be available soon.
Be a Councillor 2025-2026 Programme
If you know of someone who would be a great councillor, please ask them! Contact the Independent Group Office to be included in our e-list. We are further developing our offer, including a week-to-week plan and workbook, covering everything from filling out a nomination form to getting elected and the first few weeks as a councillor. If this is something that might interest you, get in touch!
Thought for the Day!
Although we did well in the elections, we also have some great councillors who would have contributed well to our group in a bigger seat on the upper tier authorities. It is vital that we continue to support each other in our areas, keeping cohesion and enjoyment in working together for our residents, without an insidious party whip which can cajole people in directions that damage our communities.
The joy of our group members is that we are prepared to help each other and work constructively together to create sometimes brilliant, even joyous things for our communities and sometimes help avert disastrous decisions. It is because we are determined to listen, think and speak and vote in the interests of the people we serve that we succeed. That is our identity and continuing to grow across the country.
Win or not at the recent election, it is every connection that you made with people in your community that really counts, every conversation, every post, made them think a little about you and your value in providing proper democratic representation. That all strengthens our foundations and provides opportunities to do some pretty special projects in your communities.
Thank you for your vital integrity and your loyalty to our sound identity that residents genuinely appreciate. National party politics smashed the Conservatives and Labour this time, whilst we held our own or gained. National politics moves in waves, but our members are like rocks, solidly supporting our communities. Thank you.
News from the LGA
£5 million Heritage Revival Fund for historic buildings in England
The new Heritage Revival Fund is accepting applications for projects that will help to rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings, like theatres, department stores and former banks. It will do this by supporting community organisations, charities and social enterprises to take ownership of these sites, transforming them into vibrant spaces that meet local needs. The programme will be delivered by the Architectural Heritage Fund and will run through until 31 March 2026. It will be open to charities and social enterprises in England seeking to take ownership of and adapt historic buildings for community use. Full guidance, including eligibility criteria and details of how to apply can be found on the Architectural Heritage Fund’s website.
Dates for the Diary
Induction session: Local Leadership of health and care – 16th July (10am – 3pm) VIRTUAL
This leadership development session is aimed at new Portfolio Holders with responsibility for adult social care and health including chairs of Health and Wellbeing Boards. Existing portfolio holders who would like to refresh their knowledge are also welcome to join.
This free virtual induction session will brief those new to a political leadership role in adult social care and health on the current policy issues, look at the challenges and opportunities for local leadership, and relate these to the local context. As well as hearing from a range of experts across the health and care system, you will hear about further support on offer for you. There also will be plenty of opportunity for discussion, with Q&A in every session. If you'd like to book a place, please contact Grace Collins
Thursday 9 October 2025, 6.00pm - 7.30pm
This virtual event is for newly elected members or those just looking for a refresh. The virtual event will provide an overview of local government finance without any numbers - focussing instead on roles and responsibilities, key terminologies and processes. It will give you an understanding of both what you need to be aware of in your role and what you need to understand about your authority’s role.
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