RAOS November 2023 DRAFT Minutes
DEEPING ST JAMES PARISH COUNCIL
The Institute, 38 Church Street, Deeping St James, PE6 8HD
E-mail: clerk@deepingstjames-pc.gov.uk
Tel: 01778 343266
Webpage: //deeping-st-james.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk
Facebook: Deeping St James Parish Council
Parish Clerk: Julie Fortnum
The Minutes of the Recreation & Opens Spaces Committee meeting held at 8.00pm on Tuesday 14 November 2023 in the meeting room at the Institute, 38 Church Street, Deeping St James, PE6 8HD.Present: Councillors Hosking, Rose, Shinkins-Hoppe, Smith and Stevens.
The Minutes were taken by the Assistant Clerk
24.40 To receive apologies of absence.
Apologies had been received from Councillors Halls.
24.41 To receive declarations of interest.
None declared.
24.42 To agree the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 4 September 2023.
The Minutes were noted to have the wrong date stated in section 24.39, once amended to 14 November 2023, the Minutes will be acceptable to sign.
24.43 To receive the Clerk’s report and any update on matters arising from the previous minutes.
CCTV Cameras (x4) have been installed at Jubilee Park and as with the cameras (x6) at Woody heights they can be viewed by the Parish Clerk and the Chair of the Parish Council. At the suggestion of South Kesteven District Council’s Neighbourhoods Officer the Clerk has contacted the SKDC CCTV control centre to see if the cameras can be linked for 24/7 monitoring and is so at what cost.
The Caloo Engineer visited Jubilee Park on 1 November 2023 and completed all the repairs highlighted in the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents report obtained in August 2023.
Evidence of graffiti at the skatepark was notified to the office on the morning of Wednesday 1 November 2023 and CCTV footage of the culprits in the act was captured at around 9.30pm on Tuesday 31 October 2023. This information was shared with the Neighbourhoods Officer at SKDC who has informed the Clerk that their team is to liaise with the Neighbourhood Policing Team and would visit hotspots.
An offer has been received from a local resident to ‘dress’ the Parish for Remembrance, with cascades crosses and wreaths (as have been seen this year in Market Deeping) and possibly also extend this to mark Christmas in a similar way. Locations that have been suggested are the benches and the beacon at Jubilee Park the Priory Church itself and along the riverbank.
The Councillors deliberated on the aspect of insuring the resident to complete the work, but also to receive a plan of design perhaps in Spring, in readiness for November/December for approval. This is to consider perhaps decorating the backs of benches rather than the seat, so that the bench can still be used and to aid vandalism prevention. The Councillors liked what had been seen in other areas, but there is also some level of concern regarding some events becoming too commercialised.
The friends of Deeping St James group have replanted the containers around the parish and marked the Remembrance Day by including artificial Poppies in some of them.
24.44 To receive an update about the type of cost of benches to be placed at the Linchfield Road/Brewton Drive junction and the Stowgate Road/Eastgate junction.
Councillors looked at a selection of benches discussing current knowledge of resilience of the benches already placed in the Parish as some benches have not fared very well. Councillors discussed that an audit of the parish benches should be made and those benches that are not fit for purpose should be put on a project list and attended to.
A selection of benches made from wood, recycled materials or recycled plastic were shown and a preference was given to the Captains Treble Seat, this costs £305 + VAT. It will also require siting on a concrete plinth, furthermore, discussion was had and agreed about placing a Deeping St James Parish Council logo on the bench. Funding is to be sought from the UK Prosperity Fund.
The Clerk is to make contact with Head of Planning at Vistry for permission to place two benches, one on either side of the grassed land at the entrance to Brewton Drive. Another bench is to be placed in the layby on the entrance to Stowgate Road from Eastgate – opposite the entrance to low locks.
RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL for approval of the Captains Treble Seat with a parish logo, to be sited at Brewton Drive and Stowgate.
24.45 Carols in the Park on Friday 15 December 2023 – to confirm everything is organised and agree what more needs doing and who is to do it.
Councillor Stevens advised that she is providing an editorial section in her magazine regarding the event. She has contacted a local contact for posters to be made. A local DJ has been booked to play music from 6:30pm. Cllr Stevens has been in contact with the Salvation Army and they are booked to be at the site for 7:15pm for Carols. A local resident has agreed to bring Rudolph and another resident has agreed to bring Mickey and Minnie Mouse and also Chase from Paw Patrol. The Reverend Mark Williams has also agreed to attend.
Councillors need to be available to help set-up this event; collecting the gazebo, chairs, urns, tables and refreshments, attend the event supplying and interacting with residents and for the removal of equipment and tidy-up at the end of the event.
The clerks are to contact a resident to request hire of their lights, which we used last year; order an outdoor extension cable and cable matting.
RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL to arrange volunteers for the event.
24.46 To confirm that Deeping St James Parish Council will light the beacon at 9pm on Thursday 6 June 2024 and read the International Tribute at 9.15pm to commemorate D-Day 80 with nothing further than refreshments being offered.
The Councillors agreed that the Beacon will be lit, however, on this occasion, there will be no refreshments being offered. As this is a Thursday night, another event will be considered.
Clerks are to order a new microphone and amp and solar lights for the beacon basket.
24.47 To consider working with the Market Deeping Town Council, the Lions, the Rotary and the Round Table to organise a community event in 2024.
With the revelation that there will be no Deepings Carnival this year and potentially no Raft Race event, councillors considered creating an event relating to D-Day. It was reflected that making the event not too militaristic would be considerate in the current world climate.
Lots of questions were asked regarding funding, bank accounts, lead role in managing, how it would run, who would participate etc.
RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL to consider brokering a meeting with other local organisations, to create a joint event.
24.48 To note the date of the next meeting – Tuesday 9 January 2024.
Meeting closed at 9.05pm.