Agenda and draft minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 27 March 2024 (copy enclosed). 

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 27 March 2024.

Agreed:

That the minutes be signed as a correct record.

Where a Councillor has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest the Councillor must declare the interest to the meeting and leave the room without participating in any discussion or making a statement on the item, except where a Councillor is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of dispensation.

There were none.

To consider the Spalding Special Expenses outturn position for the financial year 2023-24 (report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Corporate Development) (S151) enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Corporate Development and S151) which considered the Spalding Special Expenses Q4 report 2023-24.

The Strategic Finance Manager stated that the report detailed the final outturn for 2023-24.

• A budget of £241,375 had been approved by Council in March 2023, the outturn position on the 31 March 2024 was £206,248, concluding that a surplus of £34,876, had been transferred to Spalding Special Expense Reserves for future use.
• Section 2 of the report broke down the variances by type of spend, with premises costs being the main driver of the surplus, achieving an underspend of £30,000. The majority of this was on account of utility budgets being in excess of requirement. When the budget had been initially agreed, utility rates were increasing sharply. Assets also encountered that the same level of maintenance on selected sites were not required for 2023-24. Further sites reported reduced usage, therefore less wear and tear, resulting in lower maintenance expenditure.

The Strategic Finance Manager asked the forum to view item 3 of the report, which provided a detailed breakdown of the budget and spend by cost centre.

• Each individual cost centre had a certain amount of underspend.
• Section 4 of the report detailed the reserve position, thus with the inclusion of the 2023-24 surplus, a closing balance of £138,187 was outlined. These reserves were essentially funds for emergencies or a one-off investment for future years and could balance any overspend if in a deficit position.

The recommendation was for the forum to note the outturn position.

The Strategic Finance Manager enquired if the Forum had any questions with regard to the report.

• No questions were raised.

The Chairman thanked the Strategic Finance Manager for presenting the report.

The Chairman informed the Forum that to utilize any of the reserve funds for future Spalding Town Forum Events, it would be mandatory for a report to be submitted to Cabinet for approval.

Agreed:

That the report be noted.

To consider funding options for renewing Christmas Lights and Decorations for Spalding Town Centre and the Crescent.

• The Chairman had asked the Portfolio Holder for Community Development for an update on the condition of the present Town Centre Christmas lights and decorations, and to provide quotations to estimate the expenditure required to renew the existing lights.

The Chairman of the Forum to provide a progress update on the Spalding Town Forum Summer Event 2024.

Councillor Mark Le Sage delivered an update on the Spalding Town Forum Summer Event which would be held in Ayscoughfee Gardens.

Councillor Mark Le Sage announced that the music bands had now been selected and booked, and in conjunction with Ayscoughfee, the event would shortly be publicised on social media.

• The event would commence at 12pm on Saturday  27 July 2024 and would finish at 8pm.
• The event would be free to everyone and provide activities for families including old style fairground rides, a face painter, and an abundance of musical entertainment.
• Provisions had been made for additional refreshments and food choices to be available.
• Any donations received would be donated to the Royal British Legion.

The Chairman of the Forum to provide details of the upcoming Christmas Events 2024

The Chairman announced that the Spalding Town Forum would be hosting two Christmas events.

• Spalding Crescent late night shopping event –
  • Friday 6 December 2024 from 5-8pm, a chance for the public to shop in the bespoke area of The Crescent, with a Santa’s Grotto for children, Christmas themed music and refreshments.
  • The event would involve all  shop traders in The Crescent, with a proposed road closure to make this a safe family shopping experience.
• Ayscoughfreeze –
  • Saturday 21 December 2024 from 5-8pm
  • This would be a family event with a festive feel, including Christmas themed music, featuring a Brass Band, seasonal food and drink, carols, and Christmas lighting.
  • Further details would be provided and confirmed in due course.

Councillor James Le Sage to provide a progress update on the potential to open up the River Welland.

The Chairman invited Councillor James Le Sage to present a verbal update on the potential opening up of the river Welland.

Councillor James Le Sage informed the Forum that the Spalding Water Taxi which carried guests to and from Springfields Outlet Shopping Centre and Festival Gardens, had  not been able to use the waterways this year due to a  breach in the bank of the River Welland.

• Councillor James Le Sage had approached the manager of the Water Taxi, to ask for assistance and advice on the best way forward to potentially open up the River Welland for public use.
• Councillor James Le Sage had contacted the Town Board to discuss  the  possibility of the River Welland waterway allowing the use of kayaks, paddleboards and canoes, alongside private boat hire.
• Councillor James Le Sage would be attending a meeting to identify who to “bring on board”, collating contact details to take the next steps forward, and to develop what ideas could be realised.
• The banks of the River Welland were presently waiting to be repaired.
• The Communities Team at South Holland District Council had been contacted regarding reinstating the raft race on the River Welland.   Summer 2026 was being considered, and various other outside bodies who had experience of hosting raft race events had offered their support.

The Chairman requested that Councillor James Le Sage should keep the Forum updated on any developments and legalities.

To discuss any other business that the Chairman deems significant.

Traffic Restriction Order

The Chairman updated the Forum providing some background information on the Traffic Restriction Order (TRO)

• The previous Spalding Town Forum Chairman had started the discussion involving cars parking in the town centre.
• The current Chairman along with Councillor Elizabeth Sneath continued to lead on the said issue.
• A public consultation had now been completed and the outcome was that the public wanted the town centre closed to cars during the times of 10am - 4pm, seven days a week.

The Chairman informed the Forum that the TRO was with Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) to be rewritten to make it clearer and easier to enforce.

• Additional disabled parking would be implemented on the edges of the core of the Town Centre.
• The next stage would be to consult with town centre businesses, to ensure their deliveries could be maintained. LCC would be liaising with the local businesses, once this consultation was completed the TRO would be signed off.
• The town centre would then be closed off to cars entering the town centre during the restricted period of 10am – 4pm, Monday to Sunday.

The Chairman suggested collaborating with the Chain Bridge Forge, to produce a bespoke gate for the entrance to the town centre.

The Chairman showed a selection of slides with several ideas of how the proposed gate would look and asked the Forum for any feedback and questions.

• The gate would be connected to the posts that were outside Prezzo.
• A bi-fold gate was being considered, which would fold in the middle and back out towards Prezzo where it would be secured to a new post.
• Three options were presented to the Forum, showing a variety of decorative designs.

Members raised the following points:

• The tulip design was an apt design, but the issue was raised that the gate should be functional in the first instance and vandal proof.
  • The Chairman responded that the gate would be the entrance to our town centre, the design would need to be practical and functional, as well as an attractive feature.

• How would the gate be opened and closed at the start and end of the day? Who would be responsible for this?
  • The logistics had not been confirmed, but the Forum would be updated at a future meeting.

• When the new post for the gate was erected, would there be enough room for prams and mobility scooters to access the town centre on the pavement?
  • The pavement was wide enough to accommodate the above.

• Members raised concerns about the gate becoming damaged by motorists, could the CCTV be positioned to capture any vandalism.
  • It was suggested  having a “monitored by CCTV” sign on the gate to deter vandals.
  • It was suggested that some traffic cones be placed in front of the gate to  alert motorists that there was no through road.
  • Initially some drivers may be disgruntled but would soon become used to the new arrangement.
  • It was noted that many of the cars parked were not necessarily  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

The next meeting of the Spalding Town Forum is scheduled to take place on 1 October 2024 in the Council Chamber commencing at 6.30p.m. 

The next scheduled meeting was to be held on 1 October 2024 at 6.30pm with a special meeting to be arranged in September 2024 to discuss town centre Christmas lights and decorations – details to be confirmed in due course.