Parish council says it will spend money in parish rather than on floats for Spalding Flower Parade

Long Sutton Parish Council says it could hold an event the same day as next year’s Spalding Flower Parade as it declined to participate in something it said ‘would only benefit the Spalding economy’.

Like other parish councils in South Holland, it had been offered the opportunity to have a float at the event scheduled for Saturday, May 6.

But at its most recent meeting it voted to decline that and the opportunity to donate £1,000 towards a float by the Long Sutton Men’s Shed.

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, September 29 state: “The council resolved not to enter a float into the Spalding Flower Parade which would only benefit the Spalding economy but hold a local event either on the same day of the parade or appropriate the funds to a King’s coronation event.

“Councillors felt strongly that in the present times of financial difficulty it would be unfair to spend parishioners’ money outside of the local community on events that many would be unable to afford or attend.

“For the same reason councillors also resolved not to approve a request for £1,000 to part fund a joint float with other parishes.”

Chairman John Cleary said after the meeting: “The overwhelming feeling around the council is that the money should be spent on our own event.

“The Long Sutton Flower Festival always happened around the same time as the Spalding one.

“We’ll definitely do something to celebrate the King’s coronation, so rather than spend the local parishioners’ money on something that will be of benefit to Spalding we felt it should go on something to benefit the parish.”

Barry Mead, of the Long Sutton Men’s Shed, said that while disappointed to not get the £1,000 of funding, they were still hopeful of getting enough money for the float from elsewhere, including other nearby parish councils.

“I think Long Sutton Parish Council have missed the point of it,” he said. “Our approach is that we’re doing this to promote the parishes such as Tydd, Lutton, Sutton Bridge and Long Sutton in the parade.”