A search for South Kesteven's 'unsung heroes' will soon begin as the district council seeks to thank people who have made a difference during the pandemic.

Coun Kelham Cooke, the leader of South Kesteven District Council, announced the awards scheme as the 'full' council met in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic more than a year ago.

At the Annual Meeting, staged at the Meres Leisure Centre, Coun Cooke in a 'state of the nation' speech, highlighted the progress SKDC has made over the past year and how it had responded to the pandemic and helped the district.

Government legislation now forces councils to meet 'in person' but the larger Meres Centre was used for yesterday's meeting as the council chamber is too small to be Covid-19 secure to host 56 councillors, he explained.

"All our other formal meetings will take place at the Chamber but for now Council will meet here, and there is the opportunity for members of the public to join us also safely."

Coun Cooke praised the "astounding success" of the vaccine programme for allowing the easing of restrictions and a return towards normality, with the re-opening of many businesses.

He told the meeting: "The last year has of course been focused on the pandemic and we continue to provide the services our residents and businesses need, while reacting swiftly to ensure there was the right support given at the right time to those who needed it. Here are just a few examples:

"Nearly 122,000 enquiries have been dealt with swiftly and efficiently over the phone, with a further 30,000 by email.

"Over 2,700 businesses have been provided with grant support.

"The grant support is over £50m, providing a lifeline to many businesses.

"631 people have been provided with accommodation, people who could have otherwise been homeless.

"18,000 people were personally contacted to offer them support during the pandemic. Our staff were rapidly redeployed to make sure this could happen, and we protected our most vulnerable members of our community right from the start of the pandemic.

"We have also continued with our business-as-usual approach, for example continuing to collect our 80,000 bins a week, with special thanks to all of our waste services team and operatives."

Coun Cooke continued: "Let's not forget that the pandemic has had a major impact on our resources, we've also managed an in-year deficit down to a level that can be met from reserves, without detriment to service delivery.

"This all shows how we can swiftly react, change and adapt, to provide the best possible services for our community.

"Throughout our Covid-19 response and recovery, we have led the way.

"Working with the NHS, we supported and enabled the opening of the first joint vaccination centre in Lincolnshire, here at the Meres.

"This site has now administered over 100,000 vaccination jabs which is just fantastic for our communities.

"At the start of the pandemic, the SK Community Hub was established quickly to provide advice, signposting, befriending and offer practical support such as providing help to those shielding or for vulnerable residents.

"The Environmental Health Team has worked throughout the outbreak to support and advise businesses on the Covid regulations.

"It has also been important that South Kesteven has been an active member of the Local Resilience Forum during which the LRF has played a significant role in the pandemic response."

A resilient and creative staff, he continued, meant the number working from home had increased from over 40 to over 400.

The council leader then outlined progress being made on a new corporate plan, policies to tackle climate change, a range of reviews over various aspects of council policy and operations, plus changes to the planning department and the housing department.

SKDC had also referred itself to a government regulator which found the council had breached health and safety standards concerning its housing stock.

Coun Cooke commented: "This demonstrates the Council acting with transparency and honesty in relation to our failings to manage the responsibilities we have as a landlord."

"In response, the Council has developed significant programmes of work to improve all aspects of our housing and asset management, including significant capital programmes."

Moving forward Coun Cooke said the council was in a strong position to tackle the challenges of the year ahead and he announced changes to his cabinet of councillors.

Drawing to a concluding, he added: "Last year I said how it had been the most unpredictable and challenging of years, and it certainly was.

"But what made the unpredictable and challenging lead to success, is the determination and teamwork amongst the officers and members to provide the best possible services for residents and businesses in our district.

"We will continue to provide excellent services, and I am pleased to announce that we will celebrate the unsung heroes across the district in our new SK Community Awards, which we will launch in just over a week.

"I urge everyone to nominate the people or groups who have made a difference to our community over the last year.

"The awards build on the success of our work around the community hub and will be taken forward by my colleague Cllr Annie Mason, Cabinet Member for People and Safer Communities. "

Coun Cooke then concluded: "I do not underestimate the amount of work that has been undertaken in the last year, we have a challenging year ahead with a lot of unknowns, but we are in a strong position and I look forward to working with businesses, residents, members and stakeholders, so we can make South Kesteven the best district in which to live work and visit."

The speech in full can also be read here.