2019 Annual Town Meeting

Minutes of the Annual Town Meeting of Market Deeping held on Tuesday 5th March 2019 at 7.00 pm at the Green School, Church Street, Market Deeping   

Present:

Councillor D Shelton (Chairman)   
Councillor A Brookes
Councillor R Broughton
Cllr Mrs P Redshaw
Cllr C Gamble
Cllr Davis
Cllr W Lester
Cllr Miss Moran
Cllr Mrs J Sked
      
Also in attendance was:

•   District Councillor A. Baxter.

40 people in total were in attendance.

Representatives from the following voluntary sector organisations were also in attendance with displays:

•   Age Concern (The Deepings)
•   Deepings Heritage
•   Deepings Scouts
•   Dementia Support South Lincs
•   Friends of the Deepings Library
•   St Guthlac’s Church organ appeal

1.   Welcome and Introductions

Cllr Shelton welcomed the residents to the meeting. He explained that the Town Council has a legal requirement to ensure a meeting is held for the residents each year, so the meeting is a town meeting rather than a council meeting.

2.   Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 1st May 2018

Cllr Shelton asked the residents if they had read the minutes and that they accepted them as a true record of the meeting held on Tuesday 1st May 2018. Cllr Shelton proposed, Cllr Gamble seconded and it was unanimously agreed that the minutes were a true record of the meeting dated 1st May 2018. Cllr Shelton duly signed the minutes.

3.    Presentation by Cllr David Shelton, Chairman of Market Deeping Town Council

Cllr Shelton informed residents that the committees work on the objectives of their committee and then any decisions that need ratifying by the Full Council are passed on for decisions to be made.  He said he had observed a change in the influences on local government, with more tasks being passed down to local council level.  He believed that in future there may be a reduction of the three tier system and an increase in unitary authorities.  Cllr Shelton also noted how the council had worked together with Deeping St James Parish council on several working parties and committees in the last year, and saw this as an opportunity for the future.

4.    Presentation by Cllr Bob Broughton, Chairman of the Amenities and Open Spaces committee, Market Deeping Town Council

Cllr Broughton informed the residents that he would like to bring their attention to a few items in his report:

•   There had been a frustrating time with travellers, but various measures that had been taken, such as the ditch and bund on Tattershall Drive, had helped to eliminate further unwanted visits.
•   The park keepers are now fully trained and are working very well together.  They have ensured that the Rectory Paddock, John Eve Field and Glebe field are kept to a very high standard and this is appreciated by residents.
•   Some trees have had to be removed due to disease, and Cllr Broughton assured residents that these had been replaced with young healthy trees.  He confirmed that, as safety is a priority, the council commissions regular arborists’ reports and follows any recommendations given.

5.   Presentation by Cllr Adam Brookes, Chairman of the Planning & Highways Committee, Market Deeping Town Council

Cllr Brookes informed the residents that the committee scrutinises all planning applications and monitors developments to ensure they comply with planning law.  It also seeks improvements to issues relating to roads and paths. He explained that the committee reflects the voice of the community, reviews developments against local and national planning policies, and submits suggestions that might improve developments if they receive approval despite council objections.

With regard to the Persimmon Estate, the council has continued to monitor the work done by Persimmon and is pleased that the route of the illegally positioned footpath near the Tesco’s store had been improved following the public inquiry held in August. The committee is working on the new local plan, and it is this that allows development of the hundreds of new homes planned for the Deepings to be managed.  It helps to ensure that suitable infrastructure improvements can be planned and implemented.

The plan has been submitted to the secretary of state and, after hearings to determine various issues, will hopefully be adopted later this year. The neighbourhood plan can also be considered in determining applications.  It is being developed together with Deeping St James and, although it cannot overrule allocations of sites for housing, it can add detail to help make any developments more relevant for local needs.
The committee continues to press the County Council to improve roads.  Road surfaces and parking are the main areas of concern.

In the coming year, the committee will look at how sustainable travel can be achieved, including public transport, cycling and walking.  The proposed development of Millfield is expected to generate a lot of work, and the council has objected to this on a number of grounds.  Finally, the committee will carefully review the plans for the new leisure centre to ensure that it fits our community well into the future.

6.   Presentation by Cllr Miss Virginia Moran, Member of the Town Hall and Cemetery committee, Market Deeping Town Council

Cllr Miss Moran thanked the park keepers for their hard work during the year and presented a report prepared by Cllr Stephenson, the Chair of the committee:

2018-19 has seen huge progress made on the acquisition of the Town Hall from SKDC and the council will now be able to modernise the facilities for the use of the staff and the public. 

The Cemetery: The park keepers are consolidating the work done over the last few years. Wood waste is no longer stored but is shredded for use as mulch in the Spinney, the Paddock, or on the fields. The Cemetery has been enhanced by the planting of flowers in boxes along the drive and the area around the store tidied and improved.  The new phase of ashes burials is now well under way. This is along the northern fence and will consist of four rows of plaques, set into the ground, allowing for easy maintenance of the area as well as reducing costs to families.  The old northern hedge has been removed and replaced.  It will provide habitats for a range of birds and mammals once it is established.  Cllr Stephenson wished to thank both the park keepers, who work in the area, and the Cemetery Keeper, Ron Bottomley. 

The Spinney: This area is used for the scattering of ashes and is now in regular use, with plaques placed on the paving edge if required. Shrubs have been planted to top up previous plantings and are maturing well. Residents often sit in The Spinney on the bench, appreciating the quiet ambience of the woodland setting whilst paying their respects.

Town Hall:  Cllr Stephenson thanked the outgoing clerk and the new clerk for their work in supporting the ground staff to achieve the transformation in the park and cemetery areas. The whole Town Hall building, and entrance area in particular, look very tired and the committee has started to consider what improvements can be made for the benefit of the staff and public.  The Town Hall is small but it provides a central place at the heart of town to meet and make decisions for the Town Council and for local groups. 

The Rectory Paddock:  Volunteers from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust continue to advise the committee on the planting and maintenance of the Paddock. The new flail has allowed the meadow to be cut at the right height and also collects the grass. If anyone can use the cuttings, please contact the council.  Norah Littler and the team of volunteers have continued to work on the wildflower areas and the pond. This year there has been a fine showing of Pyramid orchids with more plantings due to create further displays in future.  Frogs and newts are the main residents of the pond.  In the Paddock itself there have been deer and a fox. There are owls and sparrow hawks in the trees and the swift tower will be turned on as usual to emit calls to attract birds returning from Africa and offer them a safe home. 

The Lincolnshire Environmental Award: This year the committee and volunteers were rewarded for their hard work in the Paddock by winning The Lincolnshire Environmental Awards’ Community Award Section. They were stunned and delighted to win.  This is a huge boost for the Council’s vision of a wildlife area and green corridor in the middle of the town.  Cllr Stephenson thanked Norah Littler, Mike Stott, Mike Donoghue and Keith McClelland for their sterling voluntary help over the last year. 

Mapping project: Walks around The Deepings: The council website whows suggested walks in the area and the mapping project will allow visitors easy access to quality maps and information to enhance their enjoyment of our surroundings. Five walks are already on line and more will be added.  All the walks have been compiled with the aim of making them safe for families. However, there may be stiles involved in some as well as muddy areas.  

Finally, Cllr Stephenson thanked all the committee members for their dedication to the job and their invaluable help throughout the year,

Finance Committee

Details of the council finances including annual expenditure were presented to residents in the report provided at the meeting.

7.   Presentation by Cllr Virginia Moran, Market Deeping Town Council, on the Christmas Market and the forthcoming  Saturday Market

Cllr Miss Moran informed the residents that there had been very good feedback on the Christmas Market.  There had been more stalls this year, and, although it had clashed with the Stamford Market, there had been a very good turnout.  She advised residents that, following the success of the new craft tent, there were plans to have one again this year.  

Cllr Miss Moran told residents that the Saturday market would be starting on Easter Saturday, and local businesses and current stallholders on the Wednesday market had been contacted with offers of having a stall.  There will be 15 stalls, mainly providing fresh produce, and SKDC are allowing one stall a week for a local charity.  Advance bookings for this stall go up until February 2020.  There are plans to have a half price stall for local businesses too.

8.   Presentation by Andrew Norman from InvestSK on the Visitor Economy & South Kesteven

Andrew explained his background in visitor economy for the last 20 years including his roles in operations management at Rockingham castle in Northamptonshire. He explained that every visitor to the area will spend money on the High Street and this is therefore as important as any other visitor attraction.  InvestSK is owned by SKDC and is working on heritage regeneration and inwards investment including hospitality.  In 2018 there were 3.6million visitors to SKDC and they spent £178million.  His aim is to encourage travellers to stop and visit the 4 market towns of Market Deeping, Bourne, Stamford and Grantham.  He hopes to see more independent shops and increased attendance at the organised Literary Festival in the Deepings, Bourne cycle festival, the Gravity fields festival in Grantham and the Georgian festival in Stamford.  A Discover South Kesteven website has been created, together with Instagram and Facebook pages.  The social media pages have already received 15,000 visits and Andrew has a short promotional video available should anyone wish to use it. 

9.   Presentation on Sport and Physical activity in South Kesteven by Dominic Fieldhouse from InvestSK.

Dominic explained his background in sport and education and as a Physical Literacy Coach.  He works within Cultural Strategy in SKDC, which includes Arts, heritage, sciences, sport and physical activity.  His aim is to encourage people to be more engaged in meaningful and fun activities, to support promotions and public engagement at events, to facilitate greater access to sports and to inspire the development of young people as volunteers, leaders and coaches.  His presentation included discussion on the current activity level of the community, why people are inactive, the drivers for physical activities, why physical activity is important, access to the environment and communities, the Lincolnshire physical activity taskforce, and the World Health Organisation.

10.   Open Forum and Questions

No questions had been received prior to the meeting.  Residents asked questions on:

Litter – Residents were informed of the SKDC ‘Big Clean’ initiative that targets unwanted littering and graffiti.  Cllr Mrs Redshaw advised attendees that the schools and the scouts and cubs also took part in litter picking activities.

The Delaine Bus service – A resident was concerned at the reduced service and believed that it was subsidised by LCC.  Cllr Bowell of Deeping St James parish council confirmed that it was not.  He also advised that Delaine buses incorporated technology that showed how many people used the service, at what time and from which stops.  This was used as a basis for altering the service.  Therefore, the less people that use the service, the less likely it is to run.

Drug use – Residents were concerned at the perceived increase in drug use in Market Deeping.  Cllr Mrs Sked, who is on the Neighbourhood policing panel, confirmed that the PCSOs are targeting the main areas of reported activity, namely the Cherry Tree park, the Church Yard and the Riverbank.  As the PCSOs have limited powers, residents were reminded that they need to keep logging issues with the police using the 101 service, so that problems can be noted and dealt with.

The proposed Millfield development - a resident asked for an update, and Cllr Brookes confirmed that outline planning permission had been sought and the council had raised objections.  He also confirmed that it was in order to apply for this planning permission at the same time as the Village Green application was being considered as they are two separate issues.  Cllr Brookes further advised that the proposed Larkfleet development on Towngate East was complicated due to ownership issues. 

Cllr Mrs Redshaw queried how residents and the council could become involved with the visitor economy and it was suggested that ambassadors be established for each of the four market towns.  These people could then identify such things as coach parking spaces and welcome facilities for visitors.

Dominic Fieldhouse confirmed that if residents would like to volunteer time to assist with the promotion of sporting events this would be very helpful.  Cllr Baxter, SKDC, asked if there could be consideration for a Park Run to take place more locally, as the nearest events are in Peterborough and Rutland.  Dominic will take this idea forward.  

Cllr Bowell then suggested that walkers in the area could take litter bags with them to help address littering issues.

There being no further questions, Cllr Shelton thanked everyone for attending and the meeting closed at 9pm.