Archive for category: Council News

Stamford Town Council has agreed its budget for the coming financial year and set a precept increase of £100,140. For a Band D household, this will result in a change of £12.02 per year, which is equivalent to around 23p per week. The budget reflects a balanced approach to maintaining local services while keeping the impact on residents as low as possible.

The precept is Stamford Town Council’s share of the council tax which funds the services it delivers for Stamford. It is the main source of income that allows the Town Council to carry out essential responsibilities, upkeep assets, protect the town’s collections, and deliver civic events, free public events – including the popular Christmas Market and Christmas Lights Switch-On – and other projects that benefit residents.

The increase was necessary to ensure the Town Council can continue delivering for the town in the coming financial year. The budget was reached after careful analysis of expected costs such as maintaining green spaces, grants for community projects, increased staffing costs and heritage conservation, to everyday basics including toilet rolls for public conveniences and dog waste bags.

Each year the Town Council works hard to ensure value for money for residents and to be open and transparent about how its money is spent, while striving to keep the cost of the precept as low as possible. There is a dedicated team of volunteers who provide vital assistance with heritage and Town Hall activities, and support is provided to community groups who carry out projects in the town, such as Stamford in Bloom and Pride of Stamford Litter Pickers. The Town Council has also secured substantial grants to cover initiatives such as tree planting on the Meadows, the refurbishment of the Shack building on the Recreation Ground and a Community Energy feasibility study across Stamford.

2025 has also seen Stamford Town Council fund a team delivering youth work through Art Pop-Up at the Shack. And as part the Town Council’s intention to restore a museum to Stamford, there have been a series of cultural workshops for schools and the Town Hall’s first museum-standard exhibition of the Phillips collection, a successful venture that saw more people than ever visit to marvel at the Georgian and Victorian posters on display.

What we do  

Stamford Town Council manages the cemetery, 278 allotment plots, the Recreation Ground, sections of the Town Meadows, and the Town Hall on St Mary’s Hill. The precept now also covers the substantial running costs of a number of assets that were handed over to the Town Council from SKDC, including the Red Lion Square toilets, Empingham Road playing fields, Uffington Road playing fields and the Bastion.
The Town Council also administers community grants, promotes access to its heritage collections, cuts grass verges throughout the town, maintains tennis courts and organises a programme of free civic and ceremonial events.

Reopening the Frank Newbon gym is also on the horizon as the Town Council is in the process of agreeing a transfer of the equipment and will then take on responsibility for insuring and servicing this equipment, alongside the play equipment on the Recreation Ground.

Additional income is also generated through services offered to the public, including room hire, allotment rents, bereavement services and civil ceremonies, which further allows investment in community assets, projects, activities and events.

Mayor of Stamford Councillor Amanda Wheelers says: “Stamford is lucky to have an incredible community spirit and so many individuals and groups who give their time and skills to make Stamford such a wonderful town. However, without the necessary funding in place to maintain and improve our buildings and playing fields, we will not be able to sustain or improve the services that our community enjoys. At a time when more and more land is being given over to development, protecting and enhancing our green spaces and ensuring our town is resilient and thriving is essential.”

Photographs by Larry Wilkes Photography

A new book showcasing riverside walks and key attractions in Stamford is helping raise vital funds for local charities.

Authored by Will Hetherington (pictured), the collection features a series of carefully curated routes around Stamford and along the rivers Welland and Gwash. The author is well known for his Will’s Walks series, which covers Stamford, Rutland and the surrounding countryside.

The new book is a Stamford Town Council and East Mercia Rivers Trust venture with all profits going to the Stamford Mayor’s Charities, chosen by Stamford’s Mayor after their annual inauguration.

The five featured walks are:

The Meadows: 2.5 miles  
Stamford to Uffington Bridge: 5.5 miles  
Stamford and Easton-on-the-Hill: 5 miles  
A Stamford stroll: 2.25 miles  
Stamford, Ryhall, Belmesthorpe and the Gwash: 6 miles  

Author Will Hetherington said: “We are blessed in this beautiful old stone town to have the river Welland offering plenty of walking opportunities, either on the town meadows or slightly further afield.

“Meanwhile, the Gwash and the Millstream both link to the Welland and add another dimension to our waterways. Whether you want to walk for 20 minutes or two hours, this guide is designed to help you enjoy everything there is to offer for the pedestrian explorer in Stamford and its immediate surrounds.”

Rachel Butler, CEO of East Mercia Rivers Trust, said: “We’re delighted to launch this new River Walks Guide for Stamford, created in collaboration with the Town Council and Will Hetherington. As well as helping people discover more about their local rivers and what to look out for along the way, the guide has been designed as a template we hope to replicate across the wider Witham and Welland catchments.

“By linking the area’s natural heritage with Stamford’s renowned built environment, we aim to shine a light on the vital role the River Welland has played throughout the town’s history and why it deserves to be celebrated and protected.”

Stamford River Walks costs £4.95 and is available to buy at the Town Hall on St Mary’s Hill – card only please.  
 

Our Christmas Tree has arrived!

The 30ft Norway Spruce is now in place in Red Lion Square, ready for our Christmas Lights Switch-on on November 27th.

Stamford Town Council would like to say a big thank you to Burghley Estate for the kind donation each year of a tree and local farmer Andrew Hinch for helping to get it in place.

Come and see the lights being turned on for the first time next week at 5pm – there will be spectacular light-up drum show, performances from LED glow stilt walkers, our schools choir and a very special guest turning the lights on!