Spalding could be getting its own police officer in plan to make the town centre more attractive to visitors

Spalding town centre could be getting its own dedicated police officer - if a new plan to make people feel safer gets support.

South Holland District Council leader Nick Worth has put forward proposals that Spalding Town Board pay for a police constable to patrol areas such as Hall Place and Market Place.

Spalding will be getting £20million over a ten year period as part of the Government’s long-term plan for towns but the main bulk of the money is not due to come through until 2026.

However, Coun Worth has proposed that the board spends some of the £200,000 it has already received - with a similar amount coming through next year - in order to make people feel safer in the town.

Concerns have been raised in the council chamber and on social media about the level of anti-social behaviour in the town along with the number of homeless people sleeping in places such as Abbey Passage.

Coun Worth, who sits on the town board, says plans are in place to address these fears - but is calling on people to celebrate Spalding.

He said: “Don’t think we are not doing anything, an awful lot of work has been going on behind the scenes, not just to sort out Abbey Passage but we are aware of the anti-social behaviour.

“The plans are there and we are hearing what people are saying and we are acting on it.

“We want to big up the town - it is actually a nice town with a lot of good things going forward. Relatively few shops have closed compared to other towns. There is a lot of good will in the town.

“Let’s make the most of it.”

The town board is currently waiting to hear if Lincolnshire’s Chief Constable Paul Gibson would approve the recruitment - which is already supported by Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones, another member of the town board.

The town board - established earlier this year to distribute £20million after Spalding was listed as one of 55 areas in need of additional investment - will also need to approve the proposal.

Coun Worth said that there is a precedent as the University of Lincoln had a contract with the police for a dedicated officer to patrol its campus.

He said: “There’s a lot more we can do once we have the £20million from the town fund to spend from 2026. That gives us a year to have a number of shovel ready projects ready to go.”

Concerns had been raised locally about street drinking in the town centre and drug use but Coun Worth warned that action cannot be taken unless a criminal offence has been committed.

He said: “If people think they are there and committing a criminal offence they need to evidence and report it to the police.

“If all they are doing is hanging around the area chatting to each other they are not breaking the law.”

Spalding Town Board was due to submit its investment plans and vision to the Government for approval in August and they are awaiting a new date. The Government confirmed its commitment to the towns plan in the last budget.

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