Agenda and minutes

Where a Councillor has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest the Councillor must declare the interest to the meeting and leave the meeting 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 discuss and make a recommendation to Cabinet for a drawdown from Spalding Special Expenses Reserves to be used for the construction of a float on behalf of Spalding Residents.

The Chairman introduced the item which sought to recommend to Cabinet the drawdown of £10,000 of Spalding Special Expenses reserves to be used by Spalding Town Forum towards the building of a float on behalf of Spalding Residents for the 2023 Spalding Flower Parade.

It was also proposed that a sub-group of Members be formed to lead on the procurement, design, construction and storage of the float.

The Assistant Director – Finance was in attendance and advised that there was a sum of £104,000 left in reserves for the Spalding Special Expenses account as at 31 March 2022.

Members raised the following points:

·         Was 10,000 the largest sum taken from the reserves to date?

o   Officers confirmed that £26,000 had been drawn down from the reserves in 2021 to contribute towards improvement works at Spalding Cemetery.

·         Was the draw down amount fixed at £10,000, or was there some flexibility with this figure?

o   The Chairman responded that it was decision for the Cabinet as to a sensible contingency for this sum and surmised that it may assist for the sub-group to take advice on costs from Stephen Timewell, the organiser of the event.

·         The Forum wished to recognise the hard work of Stephen Timewell and his fellow organisers in getting the Parade to the point it was at in such a small amount of time.

·         It was confirmed that meetings had taken place between the Portfolio Holder for Communities, the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture and the Communities Manager and Mr Timewell to provide advice surrounding the planning of the event.

·         It was suggested that the fund for the float could be boosted by fundraising events by individual members of the Forum.

o   The Chairman suggested that the funds for the first year would rely heavily on the draw down but for the years to come the float should be self-sufficient and not rely on taxpayer funds.

·         It was recognised that funds needed to be available as soon as possible to enable material costs for the float to be paid for.

·         Would it be possible for a sponsor to come forward to cover the cost of the float?

o   The Chairman responded that any sponsorship funds would need to be confirmed and paid directly to the Council, and retained only for the purpose of the float, as the Spalding Town Forum was not a constituted body.

·         The Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture was also in attendance at the meeting and suggested working with a partner organisation, such as Transported Arts, on the construction of the float.

o   The Chairman suggested that it was a matter of the time available and the need for the float to be a community project, but that this was an area that the sub-group could look into.

AGREED:

a)   That a recommendation be made to Cabinet for a £10,000 drawdown from Spalding Special Expenses Reserves to be used for the construction of a float on behalf of Spalding Residents.

b)   That a sub-group  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

There were none.