A council is due to decide whether to grant a church almost £700 to upgrade a new youth space.

If approved by Oakham Town Council at its meeting on September 2, the £695 grant would help pay for an audio system and new lighting for a youth area off Melton Road in Oakham.

Of the £695 grant, £260 would be spent on speakers and an amplifier, while a further £200 would be spent on board games.

"We bought a building a few months ago that was previously a garage. We wanted to redeem the space and make it a bit more of a community asset, being in the middle of town," the Reverend Tom Bowring said, senior minister at Oakham Baptist Church and applicant for the grant.

"We've sorted it out as a youth space, and we're now looking to upgrade the equipment so they can play their music in there, and even have an open-mic night.

"It's going to be useable by multi-ages, but it's aimed at the youth of the town. That's usually the age group that has nothing to do, so we're giving them somewhere that says 'we care about you' – where they can chill out and feel comfortable in. Somewhere managed and safe."

Later at the meeting, the council will decide whether to establish a floral display working group, which, if approved, would oversee "a comprehensive overhaul of the town's floral displays".

Calls for the working group follow identification of "inconsistent floral coverage" throughout the town centre, where some baskets are reportedly missing or empty. Furthermore, the working group would seek to establish a "more structured, long-term approach to town aesthetics".

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The council will discuss whether to engage with a legal specialist to help the authority draft up clearly defined procedural rules. After incremental amendments and revisions, the council's policy framework contains "potential internal inconsistencies, ambiguities regarding statutory compliance, and operational friction", which the external specialist would seek to address.

Finally, the council will agree a response to Rutland County Council's public consultation on its Local Plan, which, when finalised, will guide housing and other development across the county over the next 20 years.

A planning inspector has recommended a series of "main modifications" to the plan following a legal examination, which Oakham Town Council and the public are now invited to comment on.

Oakham Town Council's meeting will commence at 6.30pm on September 2. Members of the public are welcome to attend, and will have the opportunity to speak on agenda-related issues for a maximum of three minutes per person.