Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2025 (copy enclosed). 

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2025.

Agreed:

That a correction would to be made on page 8 of the minutes.

The Civic Society Representative would be replaced with the Pedals Representative.

After the correction had been implemented the Chairman 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 view actions arising from the meeting held on 18 March 2025

The Chairman discussed the actions raised from the previous Spalding Town Forum meeting on the 18 June 2025.

The following points were noted.

A18. The Portfolio Holder for Community Development reported to the Forum that later in the year a piece of work would be available highlighting the continued work of the Public Realm, alongside town centre partners.

• The Portfolio Holder for Community Development would present this to the Forum at a future meeting.

A19. The Chairman of the Forum to contact the Licensing Team to enquire if a Performers Licence was required to perform in the marketplace area of Spalding.

• The Chairman responded that he would provide the clarification regarding street performers at the meeting on 30 September 2025.

A20. To add ‘Enhancing cycle pathways’ as an agenda item.

• Councillor Sheard responded that she would provide a report at a future Spalding Town Forum meeting to update on the ongoing works and planned phases involving Spalding Town Centre, West Elloe and Pinchbeck cycle pathways.

A21. To provide an update on the current position of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) and the proposed gates.

• The Chairman had received an update on the TRO position from Lincolnshire County Council which he would communicate to the Forum.

Councillor James Le Sage entered the meeting at 6.40pm

To consider the Spalding Special Expenses outturn position for the financial year 2024-25 (report of the Interim Director of Finance (S151) to follow)

The Chairman introduced the Chief Finance Officer to present the Spalding Special Expenses Q4 report for 2024-25.

The Chief Finance Officer provided a summary to the Spalding Town Forum members detailing the actual outturn against budget for 2024-25.

The budget of £246,350 for 2024-25 was approved by Full Council on the 29 February 2024.

• The outturn position for year-end 2025, as of 31 March 2025 was £192,366 a predicted underspend of £53,984.
• Any savings realised at year end would be transferred to the earmarked Spalding Special Account Reserve and would be approved as part of the 2024-25 outturn report submitted to Full Council.

Service areas included;

• Employees – The employment related costs detailed within the report included salaries, NI and pension costs, and factored in any incremental pay progression and national pay awards.
• This category incorporated additional agency staff costs.
• Employee costs were in alignment with the budget plan.

• Income – This category encompassed rents, hire fees and additional fees and charges.
• Quarter 4 included a modest overachievement of £1000 due to supplementary rental income for Allotments and a significant increase of cemetery revenue of £18,000, alongside additional recharges for Ayscoughfee Leisure and Halley Stewart.

• Premises – Premises costs comprised of building maintenance and repairs, utilities, insurance, and grounds maintenance.
• Overall premises costs came in under budget, a saving of £19,000 at quarter 4.
• Primarily the savings were from reduced requirements for maintenance at the cemetery (£7,000) alongside savings at Monkshouse (£6,000), this was attributed by a transfer of budget from Spalding Special Recreation area to subsidise additional tree maintenance costs.

• Supplies and Services – This category included furniture and equipment, materials and consumables, professional contractor fees and licence fees.
• Quarter 4 report showed a budget saving £12,000, which was due to a transfer of budget to Spalding Special Expenses, that was superfluous.

• Transport – This category covered transport running costs, inclusive of fuel and tyre costs.
• Transport costs were projected to match budget.

• Support Services – Support Services were recharge costs for support provided by Finance, Democratic Services and Asset Management. Full year expenditure was in line with the budgeted forecast.

• Transfer Payments – This category housed the cost of grants and contributions paid to outside bodies. These remunerations were in line with the budget.

Any savings would be transferred to the earmarked Spalding Special Account Reserve. Reserves were designed to cushion the impact of unexpected events or emergencies or to finance one-off investments. Reserves were only replenished by contributions made from the revenue budget, and therefore the use of reserves should be carefully planned.

Use of reserves could be approved under delegated authority by the Section 151 Officer up to the value of £75,000, use above this threshold would need to be approved by Cabinet.

The Chief Finance Officer enquired if the members had any questions.

The Chairman highlighted £44,900 in the Spalding Recreational Premises and asked the Chief Finance Officer what this expense related to.

• The Chief Finance Officer responded that she did not have the information  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Councillor J Le Sage to provide feedback on the Celebrate the River Day Event.

The Chairman introduced Councillor James Le Sage to provide feedback on the Celebrate the River Day Event.

Councillor James Le Sage voiced that the event, organised by the Welland Yacht Club, had been a great success. Various individual watercraft joined the organised flotilla, encompassing a mixture of paddleboards, canoes, pedalo’s and even a floating picnic table. A fun filled day was enjoyed by all who attended.

• The Welland Yacht Club who co-ordinated and hosted the event, brought a team of volunteers, who provided food and hot drinks for all attendees.
• The event incorporated the Yacht Clubs Open Day, which saw 23 participants signing up for sailing tuition.

Councillor James Le Sage expressed how it would be of benefit if an access ramp providing entry into the river Welland could be made available, enabling the river Welland to be accessible and functional, this in turn would encourage tourism into Spalding.

• The Rivers Authority had potentially identified an ideal site, on the opposite side of the river from the Welland Yacht Club.
• The Rowing Society equally had exhibited an interest in utilising the River Welland, requiring canoe portages to access the water.
• Anglian Water had expressed an interest and would look at potentially joint funding this venture.

Gratitude was expressed to the Moorings Public House along with Sedge Homes for providing refreshments and entertainment, which was enjoyed by all participants.

• Special recognition was given to Welland Yacht Club, and Spalding Water Taxi’s along with Spalding Councillors who helped to support the event and to assist with costs of catering and refreshments at the Welland Yacht Club. Any additional funding would support the cost of new paddle boards and safety equipment.
• Councillor James Le Sage offered his continued support to the Welland Yacht Club to help build on the event for next year.
• Praise was given to the stall holders who provided activities and information to all who attended, including Transported, Anglian Water, and the RNLI.

It was noted that the Welland Yacht Club would be hosting a River Fun Day, a potential date had been earmarked for early September 2026.

• Next year’s Celebrate the River Day Event had been planned for mid-2026, to enable the weed and reeds to be cut back before the event was held.

Members asked The Forum to note the art works along the river provided and installed by Transported, which provided a great addition when walking along the river.

The Chairman expressed a note of thanks from Pastor Kevin Taylor on what an enjoyable day was had by all.

The Chairman thanked Councillor James Le Sage for providing the feedback.

The Chairman to provide an update from Lincolnshire County Council on the Traffic Regulation Order for Spalding Town Centre.

The Chairman provided the members of the Forum with a Lincolnshire County Council update on the town centre Traffic Regulation Order.

• The Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) had been written and was in place, pending confirmation from Street Works regarding a date for the electrical connection to the signage.
• It was noted that signage and road markings needed to be completed simultaneously to ensure legal compliance.
• A response was still needed from Street Works or their subcontractor regarding the installation date, which was expected imminently.

A query was raised regarding the rising bollards already installed in Stamford and Grantham.

• The cost estimates were still awaited, noting that installation and annual maintenance were likely to be expensive.
• The Chairman was tasked with obtaining a price for the gate and its installation, with details would be presented at a future Spalding Town Forum meeting.
• It was stated that Highways (County Council) would currently be liable, although further details were unavailable due to ongoing changes at Lincolnshire County Council.
• A future update and report were proposed for presentation at a subsequent Spalding Town Forum meeting.

The Portfolio Holder for Community Development recommended pressing for further details regarding the TRO installation and suggested obtaining a confirmed date.

• The Chairman confirmed that once a date was received, it would be circulated to members via email.
• The Friends of Johnson Hospital representative congratulated the Chairman on the near completion of the TRO process.

A query was raised regarding whether any design for the gate at the town centre entrance had been reviewed or agreed upon.

• The Chairman reported prior discussions with Chain Bridge Forge regarding the gate design, although no pricing information had yet been provided.

Additional Spalding Town Centre issues were raised.

• A question was raised about the frequency of pavement weeding in Spalding Town Centre.
• It was noted that a volunteer group had tidied The Crescent area in 2024, but a more permanent solution was deemed necessary to maintain a weed-free zone.
  • The Chairman responded that many overgrown areas were likely situated on private land.

The Chairman reported that the longstanding issues in Abbey Passage, Spalding, had been resolved, allowing shoppers and visitors to use the cut-through.

The resolution was achieved through a joint operation involving South Holland District Council Housing team and other departments.

The Chairman to consider suggestions for future agenda items for the meeting of the Spalding Town Forum.

The Chairman asked the members of the Forum if they had any agenda items that they would wish to discuss at a future meeting.

There were none.

NOTE:             No other business is permitted unless by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified in the minutes, the Chairman is of the opinion that the item(s) should be considered as a matter of urgency. 

CCTV Boston Hub Visit – Feedback Summary.

The Chairman noted that members of the Spalding Town Forum had previously visited the CCTV Boston Hub on 27 March and 7 April respectively.

Members were invited to provide feedback on their visits.

• A member reported attending the visit and shared the following observations.
  • Noted improvements since their first visit in 2023, including:
    • Increased staffing levels.
    • Installation of additional cameras.
    • Enhanced process for managing the external connecting door, which previously required manual operation and distracted staff from monitoring screens.
  • The presentation during the recent visit was more informative and helpful compared to previous experiences.
  • Emphasised the importance of adequate police resources and funding to ensure swift responses to serious incidents captured on CCTV.
  • Highlighted the ongoing challenge for monitoring staff in prioritising incidents, especially when multiple events occur simultaneously.
  • Suggested further staffing improvements to reduce the risk of missed incidents.
  • Recommended that new staff possess a broad knowledge of the monitored areas and be given opportunities to visit these areas to gain contextual understanding.
  • Acknowledged that initial steps had been taken, including the recruitment of additional staff, which was seen as a positive development.

• The Chairman added an additional comment.
  • The Chairman remarked on the impressive zoom capabilities of the CCTV cameras, noting their clarity even at considerable distances.
• The Civic Society Representative raised a query regarding the volunteer mileage rate, suggesting that this information might help attract more volunteers to assist at the hub.

The Chairman thanked the members for their feedback.

The next meeting of the Spalding Town Forum is scheduled to take place on 30 September 2025 in the Council Chamber commencing at 6.30pm.

The next meeting of the Spalding Town Forum is scheduled to take place on 30 September 2025.