Some welcome ideas to improve how the Town Council communicates with residents were discussed at the meeting this Wednesday. I’m glad that the Council have agreed to make greater use of social media such as Facebook to publicise upcoming meetings and other events. A further newsletter will also be published in October/November.

I expect that I will in future again make the case for publishing draft minutes of the Council’s meetings to help members of the public understand what decisions the Council has made more quickly. Currently the minutes of the last meeting are not published until they are approved at the next meeting. This means there can be a long wait for a record of what was discussed. Sadly this idea, despite being good practice and a legal requirement for many public authorities though not the Town Council, was rejected when I raised it previously.

There was also an extensive discussion on the proposals by New River Retail to introduce parking restrictions at the Deeping Shopping Centre. Whilst many concerns have been raised, it is clear that New River Retail are open to listening to what the Council and public are saying and there will be further consultation before any changes. Unfortunately the Council is not able to prevent New River Retail imposing restrictions but we have pointed out the problems that the scheme may bring and how it needs to be improved if it is introduced. I hope that New River Retail will take into account the concerns.

The Council heard an update on the plans to erect a metal railing fence around the John Eve Field. Despite the decision last month to proceed without getting further quotes, I was pleased to learn that the Council have since sought other quotes to confirm that the best value for tax-payer’s money is achieved. The fence will begin to be erected later this month.

I remain of the view, despite suggestions that the Council has been advised to secure the field, that this should not have been considered an emergency that justified skipping the normal practice of getting several quotes for work. The description of this situation as an emergency is contradicted by the lack of consideration of temporary measures to secure the field and the lack of a clear indication as to when the work will be completed.

The next Town Council meeting will be on 21 September at 7pm in the Town Hall when the Amenities & Open Spaces Committee meets.