Concern money going out of area

Concerns have been raised that money which could be kept in South Holland is being awarded to contractors outside the district.

At a recent meeting of South Holland District Council’s Executive, it was revealed that a £7.2m project to make council homes in the area more energy efficient is to go to an outside contractor.

And Coun Angela Newton used the meeting to say that she had concerns about a five-year contract for electrical work costing £55,000 a year for testing the council’s electric stock going to a firm from Peterborough.

South Holland is receiving £1,775,000 of the Green Homes Grant awarded to the South and East Lincolnshire Local Partnership which it’s a part of alongside East Lindsey District Council and Boston Borough Council.

The scheme is designed to make 100 homes in this district, and 400 across the partnership, more energy efficient by improving loft cavity, underfloor, external/internal wall insulation, low-energy lighting upgrades, solar panels, draught-proofing and low-carbon heating measures such as air or ground source heat pumps.

But Sarah Baker, the partnership’s climate change and environment officer said the work would be carried out by a firm not from Lincolnshire which she put down to timescale.

“The grants are quite challenging,” she said. “We received confirmation of the grants in December of last year and we’ve got to deliver by March 31 next year. When looking at 400 properties across the (partnership) area we need to start as soon as we can.

“Unfortunately that restricts us to using existing frameworks so that does mean the contractors for this are not based in Lincolnshire.

“However we’re expecting them to bring in as many local resources as they can to deliver the various trades and elements within that.

“It isn’t always going to be possible and there’s going to be quite a large amount of this funding that does, unfortunately, go outside Lincolnshire.

“But we are doing everything we can within the restrictions we find ourselves to get as many local people as we can do linked to that social value aspect of the contract.

“The government has said there will be future funding up to 2025 and I think we all know that with the number of properties, it’s going to go beyond there.”

She continued: “We’re all going to be gearing up for different technologies in our homes so we need people who are capable and servicing the likes of solar panels etc and it’s about upskilling and bringing young people into that industry.

“There’s a wider piece about education development with our colleges and apprenticeships to make sure these opportunities need to be available in Lincolnshire, so we can keep them in our district as these are the opportunities from an employment perspective that arise.

“There’s a huge amount of opportunity here but it’s not going to happen overnight.”

Coun Newton responded by claiming another contract had been issued by the district council to an outside firm when a local company had made a cheaper bid.

“None of the directors lived in the district so I suspect none of the employers do.”

Speaking after the meeting she said: “In my opinion it will cost the council money each year and take money out of the district.

“A local firm could provide some extra jobs in the district.”

A South Holland District Council spokesman said: “The awarding of all council contracts are done in line with our procurement rules and underpinned by the council’s constitution. These documents can be found on our website.”