September 2025 Minutes
The minutes of the recreation & opens spaces Committee meeting held at 8.00pm on Tuesday 2 September 2025 in the meeting room at the Institute 38 Church Street Deeping St James PE6 8HD.
Present: Councillors Hosking, Laws, Neville, Rose, Shinkins-Hoppe, Smith, Stevens and Townsin.
The minutes were taken by the Parish Clerk.
26.01 To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.
Apologies had been received and accepted from Councillor Townsin.
26.02 To receive declarations of interest.
None declared.
26.03 To agree the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 8 July 2025.
Agreed and signed.
26.04 To receive the Clerk’s report.
-A representative from Deeping Sports and Social Club contacted the Clerk on Wednesday 27 August 2025 following the invitation to attend the October meeting to give their presentation about their 3G all-weather sports pitch project. They feel a separate meeting would be more appropriate given the amount of time required to discuss the project. As they have also approached DSJUC too one presentation to representatives from both organisations may be an option.
-The required repairs to the skatepark that were noted operational play inspection report carried out by an independent RoSPA qualified Inspector in August 2024 were completed during on 11,12 and 13 August 2025. The work involved filling crack and rivets in the concrete, welding edgings and safety railings and stacking soil to reduce the fall height from the rear of the half pipe to below 1 metre The work was hampered as the users of the park were quick to graffiti newly repaired areas and move the soil that had been positioned to reduce the fall height.
-By coincidence the independent RoSPA qualified Inspector visited on Thursday 14 August 2025 to complete the annual report for 2025 which the Chair of the R&OS committee, Clerk and Maintenance Team will work through these reports to agree what work is required and if it can be completed in-house.
-The users of the skate park brought large amounts of hay into the area from the adjoining field after harvesting on 4 August 2025. Two weeks later there was evidence of an attempt to start a fire so one of the maintenance team has removed as much of it as possible, a job that took some considerable time and taken it to a nearby Alpaca owner.
-One of the oak noticeboards is awaiting installation hopefully near Brewton Drive play area although permission from the land owner has not as yet been obtained
-The Deep In Places mural although much more stable since its re-erection following it falling in the winds is missing two of the strips that hold the individual mural sections together. Following an email exchange with the Arts and Cultural Services Manager at South Kesteven District Council has confirmed that responsibility lies with them however they do not intend to take action at present but will monitor it. The DSJPC does a weekly visual check too.
-The three weeks of funded activities for primary school aged children were a huge success and all three organisers (Our Forest Garden Artivity and Madcaps) would be interested in hosting events next summer.
-South Kesteven District Council’s Tree Project Officer has confirmed that they have secured the services of a contract team to maintain the additional trees they will be planning on land between Burchnall Close and Towning Close and the new trees on the service area off Broadgate Lane.
-One of the four wooden goalposts on Jubilee Park is rotten and needs replacing so a replacement will be ordered and installed
26.05 To receive a report showing the spend against the 2025/26 budget.
|
EXPENDITURE HEADING |
AGREED BUDGET |
ACTUAL SPEND TO DATE |
|
Jubilee Park |
£15000.00 |
£5440.33 |
|
Maintenance of trees and hedges |
£ 6000.00 |
|
|
Play equipment improvements |
£10000.00 |
£3976.09 |
|
Riverbank |
£ 1800.00 |
£1680.00 |
|
Summer Playschemes |
£ 8000.00 |
£7273.90 |
|
Tress bulbs hedges & wildflowers |
£ 250.00 |
£ 12.46 |
|
Woody Heights repairs |
£ 1500.00 |
£1150.06 |
|
Woody Heights grounds maintenance |
£ 2500.00 |
£1161.80 |
|
Community events |
£ 3000.00 |
£5285.00 |
|
Green Waste Disposal |
£ 2000.00 |
£ 484.20 |
|
Village Cross & Heritage Phone Box |
£ 1000.00 |
|
|
Waste Skip Rental |
£ 3000.00 |
£1231.12 |
Councillor Laws requested that the Wendy House which had been removed from the Jubilee Park play area was replaced.
Councillor Shinkins-Hoppe advised that she had looked at the reports received following the annual independent operational play equipment inspections and it had raised some issues one of which was the replacement of the bearings on the swings at Jubilee Park
Councillor Laws also mentioned the requirement for replacement bins to encourage recycling
Councillor Stevens requested that a £100 worth of Daffodil bulbs are purchased to be planted on open spaces in the community
ACTION: the Clerk to purchase
26.06 To consider the budget requirements for 2026/27.
|
EXPENDITURE HEADING |
AGREED BUDGET |
|
Jubilee Park |
£15000.00 |
|
Maintenance of trees and hedges |
£ 10000.00 |
|
Play equipment improvements |
£10000.00 |
|
Riverbank |
£ 4000.00 |
|
Summer Playschemes |
£ 8000.00 |
|
Tress bulbs hedges & wildflowers |
£ 250.00 |
|
Woody Heights repairs |
£ 1500.00 |
|
Woody Heights grounds maintenance |
£ 2500.00 |
|
Community events |
£ 3000.00 |
|
Green Waste Disposal |
£ 2000.00 |
|
Village Cross & Heritage Phone Box |
£ 1000.00 |
|
Waste Skip Rental |
£ 3000.00 |
26.07 To receive an update from the Jubilee Park improvements working party.
Councillor Smith provided a report giving an update on the survey of park use, grant application for design of play area for older children and work towards obtaining funding for the new play equipment and wild area fencing, maintenance and ecology
Following advice from 4 Ecologists who visited the site on the morning of Tuesday 2 September it was decided that Councillor Smith would now meet with the maintenance team to agree what groundwork needs to be completed and when.
Councillor Neville suggested that the Rotary Club may be able to provide some bird and bat boxes and possibly work with the Parish Council to organise a community event to promote the area
To conclude it was proposed seconded and RESOLVED that the Jubilee Park working party should work towards completing grant applications for funding for new play equipment which would be issued to the funding providers via the Parish Clerk.
26.08 To continue consideration of a seasonal decoration at Jubilee Park for Christmas 2025 following previous discussions (minute 25.60 March 2025, minute 25.70 May 2025 and minute 25.82 July 2025).
It was noted that Councillor Burdock had offered to provide draft design for a planter with a power supply however this had not yet been provided.
26.09 To consider a location for a tree being offered by the family of the late Mary Miller in her memory.
It was agreed that the Clerk should respond to the family suggesting the following locations – the open space at the Speedwell Court junction off Lady Margaret’s Avenue or on the land off St Vincent’s Close where the Community Orchard had been planted.
26.10 To consider the location of a memorial bench for the late Nancy Titman as mentioned at the Annual Parish Meeting on 28 April 2025.
Following discussion, it was decided that the location should be at the Hereward Way play area/open space and that the Chair and Clerk should agree the exact location and communicate this to the family.
26.11 To consider the organisation of the Deepings Dog Show going forward.
It was noted that the Dog Show was started by the Friends of Jubilee Park (FoJP) around 14 years ago and it is a well-received and expected annual event generating some income which had been used to enhance Jubilee Park (gym equipment, a noticeboard and dog waste bins). The Parish Council have always insured the event, paid for the toilet hire and advertising, provided some administration support and the use of some materials. However, as the number of individuals involved in FoJP had reduced the event was now organised predominantly by Councillor Stevens with support from Councillor Rose.
It was RESOLVED that this would become a Deeping St James Parish Council event, with Councillor Stevens remaining the lead.
26.12 To consider holding the Deeping St James Remembrance Parade event at 2.30pm on Sunday 9 November 2025.
The Clerk informed the members that a road closure application had been submitted.
It was agreed that Councillor Stevens would speak to the Chair of the local branch of the Royal British Legion, Councillor Dilks and the Vicar, Revd Mark Williams about this.
26.13 To consider what actions need completing leading to the Carols in the Marquee event at the Waterton Arms scheduled to take place on Friday 12 December 2025.
Councillor Laws suggested that if the event were to be held at a public house again this year consideration should be given to holding at one of the others.
Councillor Shinkins-Hoppe responded saying she did not feel any other public house could offer the space required and it was not feasible to return to Jubilee Park as there was no hardstanding area and bad weather had ruined events.
It was acknowledged that last year’s event had been very successful and that the Salvation Army Band and Choir were enthusiastic to repeat it, however the fact that the event had been organised by the Parish Council had been lost in the Marquee.
Councillor Smith offered to obtain prices for banners and/or sail flags not only to be used at this event but others where appropriate.
Nearer the time Councillor Stevens would organise an advert
26.14 To receive the guidance from the National Association of Local Councils and the Society of Local Council Clerks about what Parish Councils need to know and do in respect of Martyn’s Law.
This item was deferred to the next meeting.
26.15 To note the date of the next meeting – 8pm on Tuesday 11 November 2025.