Agenda and minutes

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There were none.

All Committee Members were present.

Members are asked to disclose any interests in matters for consideration at the meeting.

There were none.

Minutes from the meeting held on 11 December 2026 were proposed, seconded and AGREED as an accurate record.

All actions were completed.

The Deputy Leader of the Council updated the Committee on the £2m for Grantham improvements that was being diminished by Lincolnshire County Council administration. At an executive briefing at Lincolnshire County Council, the decision had remained the same.

SKDC administration felt this could potentially be a misappropriation of public funds. They thanked Cllr Richard Davies (Grantham) speaking at the meeting in support of the funding for Grantham.

The Deputy Leader of the Council presented the report which provided an updated sport and physical activity strategy for 2026-2031.

Progress had been made in the past 5 years by the Council’s Leisure Team in implementing the actions identified in the current strategy, targeting key areas and working with partners to provide opportunities for residents and visitors to live healthy, active lifestyles.

The information detailed in the report included the supporting documents which had been reviewed and where relevant actions had been incorporated in the draft strategy.

The draft strategy was structured around 4 key pillars and included an action plan along with key performance indicators. The four pillars are mentioned as active society, active place, active people and an active system. The refresh of the strategy was essential to ensure the goals and objectives remain relevant and aligned to national context along with the needs of the community in South Kesteven.

It was outlined that Lincolnshire County Council administration was considering diminishing all funding for One You Lincolnshire physical activity initiatives.  Therefore, the Council may need to review future ambitions to mitigate the removal of funding.

The Physical Activity and Wellbeing Lead clarified the funding from Lincolnshire County Council currently covered the healthy weight programmes and exercise referral programmes in leisure centres, smoking cessation and community programmes.

One Member highlighted a KPI relating to attendance at leisure facilities within the District (1.2). Concern was raised that the Council could be committing themselves to a KPI which was out of their control.

It was confirmed that reviewing the KPI would be beneficial. The particular KPI (1.2) was from the LeisureSK Ltd contract specification and tracked who was using Council facilities. The KPI measured the inactivity and activity levels and tracked data for people throughout the District.

The Assistant Director of Leisure, Culture and Place suggested the Committee requested the strategy be taken away for further review of the percentage of inactive adults, as the strategy did not set a target at present.

It was noted that many venues held physical activity events, however, were not owned by the Council. It was queried how the attendance at these venues was accounted for.

The Physical Activity and Wellbeing Lead confirmed that the data relied on individuals feeding into the Active Lives Survey data.

A query was raised on how the strategy would specifically address rural isolation and transport barriers within the District, which could hinder participation for smaller villages. It was further questioned whether the Council worked with any partners.

The Council were working with Active Lincolnshire to overcome rural barriers, they were proposing a neighbourhood place profile to identify areas of focus.

Another partner such as ‘We Are Undefeatable’ were a free organisation that people can access from anywhere, offering online workouts and specifically targeted individuals with long-term health conditions.

One Member asked whether people living in the District had been utilising the ‘We Are Undefeatable’ service.

ACTION: For the Physical Activity and Wellbeing Lead to provide statistics on the numbers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

To provide an update to the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee of the ongoing schemes of work across the leisure asset base in the district.

The Deputy Leader of the Council presented the report that provided an update on work undertaken as part of the leisure investment programme, alongside support provided by the Council to community organisation in the District.

The Leisure Investment Reserve was established earlier in the financial year. The primary objective was to improve the cosmetic appearance on each of the Council’s leisure centres and improving the customer experience.

Work was well underway to finalise the scope of the specification, which was due for completion on 6 February 2026. The tender opportunity due to go live on 9 February 2026.

Any future reports regarding progress and the associated spend would continue to be reported to the Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The report also outlined the support provided to different community organisations across the District to improve the overall leisure offering and the current lease arrangements in place between sporting organisations and the Council.

One Member expected to review a heatmap on where the investments were across the District. It was hoped the report would explain where the investment was being allocated across South Kesteven to ensure fair and equal distribution. 

It was queried whether any money had been allocated to sport groups through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Assistant Director of Culture, Leisure and Place confirmed any information regarding the UK Shared Prosperity Fund was reported to the Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund had concluded now, however, a list of all villiages/towns and the funding they received could be viewed on the website.

A query was raised on whether other activities rather than usual activities were considered within the strategy to be advertised.

The Team Leader – Leisure, Parks and Open Spaces clarified the leisure centres promoted most activities. There was group of block bookings at each of the centres. The Council were working with Lincolnshire Co-op on the ‘healthy walks programme’.

Members outlined activities and groups that were upcoming and required publicising:

·       Football club in Thurlby

·       Walking group in Bourne (from leisure centre)

·       Bourne Woods (walking)

·       Table Tennis Club in Folkingham

·       Pointon Football Club

·       Carlton Scroop Table Tennis Club

·       Grantham Canal Partnership – 33 miles of free walks

One Member would share the activity groups within Grantham with the Team Leader – Leisure, Parks and Open Spaces.

Members recognised the great advertisement from the team on the leisure centres on social media.

 The ‘Activity Finder’ on the Council’s website provided different groups and activities taking place locally in the area.

A non-Committee Member shared that they felt the Meres Leisure Centre was outdated.

The Committee noted the contents of the report

The Deputy Leader of the Council presented the report that outlined possible funding for an events Officer and an events programme. Should the funding be approved, this represents an exciting opportunity to invest consistently in outreach and events, working towards a more planned and sustainable programme of cultural activity.

A draft programme of events had been developed in consideration of the Council’s corporate objectives and the Cultural Strategy which was adopted in 2023.

The suggested programme draws on feedback from previous Council events and the results from a consultation exercise undertaken with residents, artists and community organisations in Bourne and the Deepings.

The aim of the programme was to respond to the needs of residents, remove barriers for participation and reach audiences who do not currently engage with the Council’s venues or cultural offer.

Evaluations would be collected at each event, providing feedback to inform future decision-making and ensure that future work continues to reflect community need and provide value for money. The programme has been designed with legacy in mind .

Where possible, the proposed events had been structured to support practitioners and community groups to create activity that can continue beyond direct Council delivery.

The ambition was to grow cultural activity across the District rather than creating ongoing reliance on the Council to deliver the same events year after year.

Members praised the funding allocated for the Future High Streets Fund previously.

It was suggested whether the budget could be reviewed to continue events in Grantham marketplace to build on the success from the previous year. It was queried whether any other funding was available for the marketplace.

The Assistant Director of Culture, Leisure and Place confirmed that funding being provided was £100,000 and Officers had been given a clear remit that this should be spread equally across the whole District.

It was noted the table detailing costs of Lincolnshire Day and the silent disco did not add up to the whole number.

One Member felt that spending over £10,000 on Covid Remembrance was not a great use of the funding.

Members discussed the need for Councillors to enable and partner with the Council to help increase the attendance of these such events.

A query was raised on whether Officers had explored match funding for some of the events in co-operation with Grantham Town Council.

It was confirmed that the Council were working in conjunction with Town and Parish Council’s on Council and non-Council run events. It was hoped that communities would take on the events in future years.

Members discussed the Issac Newton 300^th Anniversary of his death and the events that would be arranged to commemorate that.

It was requested that the Council work with schools to invite them to these events, alongside requesting school pupils to host events e.g. a theatre production. 

One Member noticed the importance and success of British Racing Motors (BRM) within Bourne.

A query was raised on the ‘Bike Night’ in Grantham and the £6,000 stage. It was outlined that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

The Committee noted the Work Programme 2025/26. 

It was confirmed that heads of terms between the Council and Grantham Town Football Club had been agreed and the lease was awaiting sign off in March 2026.

A query was raised on whether a visit to Grantham Town Football Club would be arranged prior to the next meeting.

It was suggested that Grantham Canal Partnership be invited to a Committee meeting in the future.

It was clarified that Grantham Town Football Club had envisaged to attend the next meeting to update the Committee in person.

The Team Leader – Leisure, Parks and Open Spaces confirmed a KPI update on LeisureSK Ltd (year 1) would be brought to the Committee on 13 May 2026.

There were none.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 15:45.