Our inaugural meeting (when we were called the “Town Plan Steering Group”) was held in October 2007 at the Pensioners’ Hall in Skegness. Several Town Councillors and many representatives from a wide range of local organisations attended. Mr Tony Tye, who then represented the Skegness and District Hoteliers' Association, was elected as the first Chairman. Tony Cumberworth, the Town Clerk of Skegness, was elected as the Group’s Secretary. The Group decided to have monthly meetings from then on - and these now take place in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall.

Up to now the Group has had two basic priorities. First we must organise ourselves to widen our democratic base so we genuinely reflect public opinion in the Town. Secondly we must carry out initial consultation on Skegness residents’ main issues and priorities.

To widen our democratic base the Group is encouraging as many representatives of Skegness organisations as possible to become involved - with a particular emphasis on groups representing disabled, disadvantaged and young people. If you don't have a representative on our Group and want one, please, let us know (our email address is at the bottom of every page).

One of the first things we did, to avoid re-inventing the wheel, was to establish just how many strategies there already are specifically for, or that include, Skegness. These include County Council and District Council strategies and those of the Police, Fire Service and Primary Care Trust. The Group does not have to agree with any of these policies, but if they were the result of proper consultation there would be no point in us repeating the process when we have other issues to address that the public has not yet had a chance to express an opinion on.

In January 2008 the Group renamed itself Skegness 2020 Vision. The name reflected that fact that the Town Plan is intended to run up to the year 2020. Additionally other similar groups in Lincolnshire had already started using this format for their name, so it made sense to be consistent with them.

The Group also decided to have a website called “skegness2020vision.org.uk” - which it registered as a domain name. We haven't been able to get the website off the ground yet, but we have put these temporary pages on the internet to meet the Group’s immediate needs.

In February 2008 Skegness Town Council agreed to provide up to £10,000 to fund the Group’s activities in 2008/2009. This was subsequently supplemented by a further £4,000 from Community Links. The Group was therefore adequately funded to carry out wide consultation in Skegness for at least a year or so.

On 14th and 15th March 2008 the Group carried out its first public consultation in the Hildreds Shopping Centre (see the pictures below). A large number of residents and visitors told us what their priorities were until 2020, and this information was analysed by the Group for future use.

This consultation will be taken a stage further on Friday, July 18th (from 10am to 4pm) when a second consultation will take place - again at the Hildreds Shopping Centre. We will consult on what were the three most important issues that emerged at our previous consultation - leisure facilities, the arts and entertainment in Skegness. We will consult on the many other issues that emerged in other consultations.

The Possible Issues So Far

After our initial consultation the following issues have been identified as of concern to Skegness residents. These will almost certainly change as more people get involved with the Group.