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Welcome to Gillingham Town Council
Welcome to the Gillingham Town Council website. This site contains agendas and draft minutes for all committee and Full Council meetings from May 2007 within "Documents & Archive". Membership details for the four committees and the various working parties are listed within the "The Council" section. Ward representation and contact details for council members can be found in the “Who We Are” section
The Policy section includes the Standing Orders and Financial Regulations for Gillingham Town Council together with a number of other policy documents. A Model Publication Scheme listing all of the information available under the Freedom of Information Act and how it can be obtained, is also included in this section.
The site is updated on a regular basis with news and information on local issues and also includes links to a number of local organisations.
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Lest We Forget
Tribute - Cllr David Milsted (GTC Mayor 2011-12)
When people assemble at Gillingham’s War Memorial this Remembrance Sunday they will see a huge difference from last year, as this week sees the completion of a community-wide effort to give it a new lease of life.
In December 2009, Gillingham Town Council voted to raise £1,000 to kick-start the project, with the rest of the funding to come from public subscription. A working party was formed, and a thorough inspection of the memorial confirmed that it was in a parlous state of repair and could not be moved from its location in the car park. The working party, which included representatives of the Royal British Legion and the Devon and Dorset Regimental Association, resolved to undertake a complete repair and renovation together with landscaping works to give it a proper setting.
Over £12,000 was raised during my term of office as Mayor in 2011-12, and I wish to express once again my heartfelt thanks to the many organisations, businesses and individuals who gave so generously of their time, talents, effort and money to reach this sum. Over £5,500 was raised by five brave ‘Gylla’s Angels’ who did a parachute jump; £2,200 was realised from brisk bidding at a Mayor’s charity auction; over £500 was donated on Civic Day by visiting Mayors from across Dorset and beyond, with further contributions from a host of organisations, from the Devon & Dorsets to the Gillingham Beavers, and from the Shaftesbury & Gillingham Lions to the Wessex Highlanders Pipe Band. In addition, a grant of £4,500 was awarded by the War Memorials Trust to bring the grand total to nearly £17,000. The extra money has enabled us to mark the effort with a stone and plaque, situated at the entrance to the car park, commemorating the completion of the work in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Year.
I should also like to thank the following for their contribution to the work itself: Chris Daniels and Harry Jonas for surveying and repairs; North Dorset District Council for the donation of parking spaces; C & J Dyer for the landscaping; Marnhull Stone Quarries for the stone; Newton Forge for the plaque, and Richard Cumming (Orchard Park) for the planting.
It has been a great honour to lead this wonderful community effort; I never thought, when I made the original proposal in 2009, that the whole thing could be done in under three years. Fundraising will continue, to build up a fund to provide for the maintenance of the memorial in the years to come: “Lest we forget”.
MAYOR OF GILLINGHAM 2012 - 13
Councillor Stephen Joyce has been elected as Mayor of Gillingham for the forthcoming civic year.
Councillor Joyce received the chain of office at a ceremony held on Monday 28th May 2012.
The Mayor's Consort for 2012/13 is Mrs Susan Toogood.
Gillingham’s new Deputy Mayor is
Cllr Mrs Valerie Pothecary
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MAYOR'S CHARITY GARDEN PARTY
SUNDAY 15th JULY 2012
RAISED £1,200.00
THAN YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED THIS EVENT
MAYOR OF GILLINGHAM 2011-12
Cllr David Milsted
Access Mayor's Report for his year in office by downloading on the link below:
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North Dorset Draft Housing Strategy 2012-2015
The Council’s Housing Strategy 2012 – 2015 is now available for consultation and we are keen to incorporate the views of all of our partners and stakeholders in the final document which will be published in April 2012. We are particularly interested in your comments on the proposed strategic priorities which are set out on page 13 and are as follows:
* Increasing the number of homes available to buy and rent, including affordable housing;
* Protecting the vulnerable and disadvantaged by tackling homelessness and supporting people to stay in their own homes;
* Making sure that homes are of high quality and sustainable.
Do you agree that these should be the Council’s priorities for housing over the next three years?
Do you agree that by taking effective action in these areas we will have a positive impact on the issues set out underneath each of these priorities?
Are there other actions the Council should be taking on housing issues in the District?
Please let us have your comments on the document by Friday 16 March 2012. In the meantime, if you would like to discuss any aspect of the draft Strategy or require hard copies or a different format please contact Derek Hardy at North Dorset District Council on 01258 484041, DHardy@north-dorset.gov.uk
The Housing Strategy is here: http://consultationtracker.dorsetforyou.com/00,consultation,10405,330,00.htm
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Draft North Dorset Economic Development Strategy 2012 – 2015
The Council prepared the current ED Strategy in 2009 and it was adopted in March 2010. A considerable amount of political and economic change has taken place since then and we feel that it therefore requires revision. Many of our partner agencies, such as the South West Regional Development Agency and Business Link, have been abolished and new organisations, such as the Dorset Local enterprise Partnership (LEP) have been established to take on some of the functions.
Resources and funding have been reduced and the role of the public sector is now
more that of enabling, facilitating and endeavouring to create an environment in
which businesses can thrive.
The Council will be supporting the LEP on economic development issues of county
wide strategic significance e.g. Broadband, inward investment, promotion of
Dorset, etc. At a local level NDDC needs to know which activities are a
priority for North Dorset so that it can concentrate its resources and those of
its partners most effectively.
Key issues include:
· The future of town centres
· Unemployment and the transition from training/education into local
employment
· Skills and training – apprenticeships, work experience
· Employment land and provision of workspace
· Retaining services and facilities in the villages and rural areas
The Draft Economic Development Strategy 2012 -2015 is out for consultation until
30 March 2012, and will then be redrafted to reflect the responses and focus its
action plan on the areas of greatest importance. This revised document will be
presented to Cabinet for Adoption April. It will also contribute to the
development of the Core Strategy.
The Draft Strategy, the Action Plan, a covering letter and a questionnaire can
be found on: http://consultationtracker.dorsetforyou.com/North%20Dorset%20Draft%20Economic%20Development%20Strategy%202012-15
Paper or emailed copies are available on request.
Questionnaires are to be returned to Sue Watson at SWatson@north-dorset.gov.uk<mailto:SWatson@north-dorset.gov.uk>
by 30 March.
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GILLINGHAM DIRECT
Gillingham Direct goes live!
The talking is all done. The systems have been built and tested. The office has been created and kitted out. The staff are being trained. So it’s all systems go for a public launch on 23 November 2011.
The Leader of Dorset County Council, Cllr Angus Campbell; The Leader of North Dorset District Council, Cllr Peter Webb; and the Mayor of Gillingham, Cllr David Milsted have all been invited to cut the ribbon at Gillingham Direct at the formal launch.
What will Gillingham Direct offer?
It’s one place in Gillingham where anyone can visit to find out about local council services. Everything from Council Tax to car parks and from allotments to youth clubs
When is it open?
From 9.00-13.00 Monday to Thursday
What’s the phone number?
01747 823588, the same as the current Gillingham Town Council telephone number.
What’s the email?
gtc@gillinghamdorset-tc.gov.uk
Where is Gillingham Direct?
It’s in the Gillingham Town Council building next door to the Police Station. It’s also conveniently close to two of Gillingham’s schools for those on the school run.
Who works there?
To start with Gillingham Town Council staff and the County Registrar but there will also be North Dorset District Council staff, at certain times to be advertised in the future, providing housing advice, benefits and council tax advice.
How do they know all the answers to DCC and NDDC questions?
They have access to the dorsetforyou website and have been trained to use the customer relationship computer systems at Dorset Direct in Dorchester and at the District Council to field questions about council services in North Dorset. Anyone working at Gillingham Direct will have access to information about: waste, concessionary travel,rights of way, highways, blue badges and a host of other subjects contained in dorsetforyou.com.
Are there any new jobs at Gillingham Direct?
There are no new posts at Gillingham Direct because it is an extension of our existing council service operations. We are relocating some of our resources to Gillingham Direct rather than creating new jobs.
How will it benefit local people?
Anyone living in and around Gillingham now only has to go to one place, Gillingham Direct, to find information about County, District or Town Council services. People will no longer have to travel to Blandford or Dorchester for specialist advice, such as housing, so it should save both time and money for them.
Could it mean redundancies?
No, there are no planned redundancies because we are redeploying our services not reducing them.
Will it save money for the councils?
It has already saved money and will help all the
councils to operate more efficiently so there will be long term financial benefits.
Will it save office space?
Yes. By sharing space we have been able to reduce the cost of DCC offices in Gillingham because the County Registrar has been able to move into the Town Council building.
Has it been expensive to set up?
It hasn’t cost a lot of money but a small group of employees from all three councils has put in a lot of time planning and creating Gillingham Direct to ensure that it works well from the outset.
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