Minutes:
Question to: Councillor Worth
Question from: Councillor Barnes
Subject: Spalding Flower Parade
Councillor Barnes asked the Leader whether he had any comments to make about the cancellation of the Spalding Flower Parade for 2026. Councillor Worth responded that the Flower Parade was run by an independent organisation, but he was open to discussions with the organisers at any time. The parade was beneficial for Spalding and although the organisers had previously been reluctant to work with the Council, the door remained open for collaboration.
Question to: Councillor Worth
Question from: Councillor Barnes
Subject: Police Force reduction
Councillor Barnes asked the Leader to comment on the recent news that the number of police officers supporting South Holland had been reduced. Councillor Worth responded that there had been a delay in recruitment of new police officers due to funding issues. The funding was now in place and recruitment had begun but it would take six months to complete the training, leaving a temporary gap in local policing. Police resources had been rediverted to focus on rapid response which would reduce neighbourhood policing. The Chief Constable had reassured Councillor Worth that the hotspot policing paid for by the Spalding Town Board would continue until the end of January, after which the board would decide whether to extend the arrangement. Councillor Worth expressed concern about the impact on progress made to alleviating anti-social behaviour in the town centre, particularly issues with cycling, and hoped that the Town Board would continue to support hotpot policing to help mitigate these issues.
Question to: Councillor Casson
Question from: Councillor Avery
Subject: Flytipping down South Drove, Spalding
Councillor Avery queried whether permission could be sought to remove flytipping on Welland and the Deepings Internal Drainage Board owned land on South Drove, Spalding. Councillor Casson responded that the land had been leased to the County Council for a number of years, but this agreement had now ceased. The IDB had agreed to clear the existing flytipping and carry out improvements to the site to prevent future incidents. The work was scheduled to begin on Monday 2 February.
Question to: Councillor Worth
Question from: Councillor Brewis
Subject: Fast Food Packaging Deposit Charge Campaign
Councillor Brewis asked whether there had been any progress on a national campaign for a scheme to offer money back for returning fast-food packaging or similar items. Councillor Worth responded that this had not moved any further due to bigger priorities but would be kept in mind for the future.
Question to: Councillor Eldridge
Question from: Councillor Astill
Subject: Waste Policies
Councillor Eldridge asked whether feedback provided by Policy Development Panel on waste policies would be incorporated into the proposals put forward to Cabinet. Councillor Astill responded that policy positions had been adjusted following feedback from PDP, and these changes would be sent to Cabinet unchanged for them to discuss.
Question to: Councillor Bingham
Question from: Councillor T Sneath
Subject: Free parking across the district
Councillor T Sneath commented that following the success of the free parking in Spalding, paid for by the BID, did that present an opportunity to bring forward short stay free parking across the district? Councillor Bingham responded that while free parking across South Holland would be desirable, it would not be financially viable. Car park usage had remained steady, despite previous fee increases, and season passes had been introduced to make parking in Spalding more affordable.
Question to: Councillor Avery
Question from: Councillor Astill
Subject: Simplifying recycling
Councillor Avery raised that North Lincolnshire Council had recently implemented a policy of one bin for all recycling, could this be implemented in South Holland to make recycling simpler? Councillor Astill responded that the Environment Act required that recycling be separated, and the method chosen by the council would reduce contamination rates significantly.
Question to: Councillor Casson
Question from: Councillor Booth
Subject: Flytipping and littering in towns and villages
Councillor Booth asked when residents could expect Kingdom to be working again at full capacity and whether they were still issuing tickets for flytipping and littering. Councillor Casson responded that Kingdom were currently recruiting and any reduction in staffing levels were supported by officers based in Boston or East Lindsey when required and tickets still were being issued.
Question to: Councillor Worth
Question from: Councillor J Le Sage
Subject: Initiatives for Spalding Market
Councillor J Le Sage queried what initiatives were in place to promote Spalding Market and increase stall numbers. He also asked whether Grantham had been approached for insight as to how their stall numbers had increased by 400%. Councillor Worth referred to the Portfolio Holder Updates provided and noted that there was now an active Facebook page promoting a different South Holland market each week. There were several initiatives underway to attract new traders, and more entertainment on market days was expected over the next 7-8 months, working with the Town Board and the BID. Markets Officers had also been visiting other towns to assist in recruiting new traders to Spalding Market.
Question to: Councillor Astill
Question from: Councillor Sheard
Subject: Waste outside Sessions House, Spalding
Councillor Sheard queried waste left outside of the Sessions House in Spalding and asked whether they could be approached to remove this waste. Councillor Astill confirmed that he would speak to Councillor Sheard outside of the meeting to see what progress could be made on this issue.
Question to: Councillor Taylor
Question from: Councillor Barnes
Subject: Name for new Spalding Leisure Centre
Councillor Barnes commented that there had been a lack of options for residents to choose from for the name of the new leisure centre and that feedback amongst the public was that the Council would choose whichever name they liked regardless of the outcome of the consultation. Councillor Taylor responded that the consultation feedback would be taken seriously, and resident’s feedback would be listened to. He supported the inclusion of the word ‘Castle’ in the name due to local historical links. There had also been feedback that South Holland should be included in the name to represent the use of the facilities by residents across the district, not solely in Spalding. The final four options presented reflected this feedback.
Question to: Councillor Worth
Question from: Councillor J Le Sage
Subject: Roadworks
Councillor J Le Sage commented that there seemed to be a lot of roadworks taking place across the district at the same time. Councillor Worth agreed and asked County Councillors in the room to feed this back to the County Council.
Question to: Councillor Astill
Question from: Councillor Barnes
Subject: Garden Waste Scheme – new rounds
Councillor Barnes asked whether the timeline for revised garden waste rounds going live on 1 April would be met. Councillor Astill responded that he was confident the timeline would be met. Information about the revised garden waste rounds would be published on the Council’s website and a flyer about the scheme would be included with council tax bills.
Question to: Councillor Casson
Question from: Councillor Sheard
Subject: Litter on Winsover Road, Spalding
Councillor Sheard raised that she had received a number of complaints from residents about littering on Winsover Road. This issue had been ongoing for a long time, and she asked whether a resolution was in sight. Councillor Casson responded that Kingdom conducted regular visits on Winsover Road, but no evidence had been found so far to prosecute so far. The team were doing all that they could to try and resolve the situation.