Agenda and draft minutes

To appoint a Chair for the Municipal Year 2026/2027

RESOLVED: Councillor S Everett was appointed Chair for the Municipal Year 2026/2027

To appoint a Vice-Chair for the Municipal Year 2026/2027

RESOLVED: Councillor B Jones was appointed Vice - Chair for the Municipal Year 2026/2027

To receive any apologies for absence.

An apology of absence was received from Councillor Lowe.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting.

RESOLVED: The minutes from the previous meeting held on the 19^th March 2026 were agreed as a correct record.

Please indicate if there are any interests which should be declared.  A declaration of an interest should indicate the nature of the interest (if not already declared on the Register of Interests) and the agenda item to which it relates.  If a disclosable pecuniary interest is declared, the Member should withdraw from the room whilst the matter is discussed.

These declarations apply to all Members present, whether the Member is part of the meeting, attending to speak as a local Member on an item or simply observing the meeting from the public seating area.

There was none.

To consider any business which, by reason of special circumstances, the Chairman proposes to accept as urgent under Section 100(b)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act, 1972.

There was no urgent business.

Members wishing to speak pursuant to Standing Order 34 should inform the Chairman of their intention to do so and on what items they wish to be heard before the meeting commences.  Any Member attending the meeting under Standing Order 34 will only be permitted to speak on those items which have been previously notified to the Chairman.

There was none.  

There was none.

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The Interim Corporate Governance Manager and Corporate Governance Graduate presented the results of the first consultation on establishing a Town Council for King's Lynn, highlighting strong resident support, key concerns, and next steps. The consultation ran for six weeks from early February to the end of March, with submissions accepted online, by paper, email, or letter. Information was distributed to nearly 20,000 properties in the unparished area, resulting in 915 individual respondents, surpassing the 1-2% response rate goal.

Approximately 86% of respondents supported the creation of a town council, with the leading theme being the desire for increased local voice and representation, especially in the context of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). Concerns about being absorbed into larger authorities and funding biases were prominent.

Around 10% of respondents opposed the creation of a town or parish council, primarily due to financial concerns such as council tax increases and the lack of a cap on the precept.

Over 86% of respondents favoured maintaining mayoral and civic heritage, citing the importance of historical continuity and civic pride. Opposition was mainly due to cost concerns, with some suggesting the mayoralty could be maintained at reduced expense. Few respondents suggested alternatives to a town or parish council, with options like ward forums and community associations receiving minimal support.

Councillor Rust thanked Officers for the presentation and questioned the financial impact on residents with the chartered trustee model. The Interim Corporate Governance Manager explained that the chartered trustee model would have limited financial impact as it does not deliver services, and further financial modelling will be conducted if a second consultation proceeds.

The chartered trustee model was discussed as an interim arrangement to preserve civic functions and the mayoralty if a parish council was not established, with limited financial impact as it would not deliver services.

In response to Councillor Kemp, the Interim Corporate Governance Manager explained the precept for a new parish council would depend on the assets and services transferred, with the Borough Council funding the initial year if established before unitary status. Provisions such as a parish clerk would also be provided initially.

Councillor Colwell thanked the officers for the presentation and recognised this consultation compared to others done by the Borough Council had received a good response and residents were interested. He questioned if there was an expected drop in responses to the second consultation and potential extended consultation. In response the Interim Corporate Governance Manager highlighted the second consultation was to focus on technical details such as the name, implementation date, election arrangements, precept, civic heritage, and warding. She noted the response rate may dip due to timing, but significant resident interest was still anticipated. She recognised a consultation period of the summer was not best practice but may be required due to time constraints and the deadline of January 2027.

Councillor Sayers questioned the responses for residents not within the unparished area and the impact on the statistic if  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

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Vicky Etheridge from Discover King's Lynn presented the BID's achievements, ongoing consultation, and future plans. She explained that the BID operates as a business-led organisation within a defined town centre area, funded by a levy on business properties, and was preparing for a third term with a ballot scheduled for autumn.

The BID had implemented popular initiatives such as street rangers, Shopwatch and Pubwatch schemes, events like markets and street entertainment, business support, and the Discover King's Lynn app, all aimed at increasing footfall and supporting local businesses

Challenges include financial constraints, the need to adapt to local government changes, and maintaining or expanding services. Priorities for the next five years include continued marketing, events, business support, and acting as a voice for local businesses.

The Bid Manager highlighted the importance of working with the future town council and new authority, as well as exploring ways to expand BID services and foster greater community involvement in the town centre.

Councillor Heneghan inquired about the sustainability of BID services with the BID Manager explaining without Discover King’s Lynn there would be a reduction in events and services as it would be down to the Local Authority however there was unlikely to be a budget for this.

Councillor Rust  questioned if there was any consideration for a safety perception around King’s Lynn as she felt it was to be beneficial with finding out why residents was not coming into the Town Centre. The BID Manager explained a similar question on safety perception was asked in another campaign.

Councillor Colwell commented the app was not promoted and many residents were not aware. He suggested promoting the app and services by providing free WIFI around the Town Centre. The BID Manager explained free WIFI had been explored however it was difficult to implemented due to the cost. She agreed this was to be revisited along with the demand and users.

In response to Councillor Fry, the BID Manager commented in the next term it was to be considered on extending the area in which BID covered including with working with businesses and charities. 

Councillor Kemp expressed her concerns on the number of vacant units in the Town Centre. The BID Manager explained some vacant properties was from national chains vacating but provided assurance she was working with estate agents and local entrepreneurs to fill the vacant units.

Committee Members and the BID Manager discussed markets being brought back into the Town Centre, noting the Merchants Market and this bringing additional trade into the town. She noted the difficulty with local businesses being able to attend Markets during the week.

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The planning subgroup will continue with Councillors Collop, Ware, and Jones as members, and Councillor Heneghan as a substitute

The play areas informal working group was initially proposed for disbandment but will continue due to ongoing concerns about playground conditions. Councillors expressed concerns about the state of playgrounds and the stalled accessible playground project. It was agreed to maintain the working group, liaise with officers, and add the accessible playground project to the committee's work programme.

Councillor Collop asked why the informal working group had not met recently. In response, Councillor Rust explained that the Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection had successfully secured funding for accessible play equipment in the Walks. She noted that she had attended an event with Officers, where it became clear that additional work was needed to ensure all accessibility needs were fully addressed. However, due to limited Officer capacity within the Open Spaces team, the funding was ultimately lost. She acknowledged that, despite this setback, there remained a strong willingness to progress the project, and that both Councillors and Officers had already undertaken significant work.

Membership for the special expenses informal working group was sought and confirmed, with five elected members – Councillors Kemp, Ware, Jones, Everett and Rust volunteering to participate.

RESOLVED: 

1.    That the KLAC Planning Sub-Group continues to operate, and Membership of the Group be sought and confirmed by the Committee for the 2026/27 Municipal Year.

2.    The Funding Priorities and Opportunities Informal Working Group be disbanded due to having not met and the creation of the KLAC Support Officer will now fulfil this responsibility on behalf of KLAC.

3.    The Committee agree the Terms of Reference for the Special Expenses Informal Working Group as set out in Appendix 1 and Membership of the Group be sought for and confirmed by the Committee for 2026/2027.

4.    The Play Areas Informal Working Group remain established with the existing membership and an item be brought to the a future meeting of the Committee.

The Committee is asked to consider items for a future Work Programme for

The Committee is also asked to consider the Cabinet’s Forward Decision List.

It was agreed an item on the accessible playground equipment was to be added to the Work Programme and scheduled for a future meeting.

The Committee noted the Work Programme and Cabinet Forward Decision

The next meeting of the Committee is to be held on the 17^th September 2026 at 5:15pm in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Saturday Market Place

17^th September 2026 at 5:15pm in the Council Chamber, Town Hall.