Gillingham Town Council Today

Gillingham Town Council Today

Seventeen elected council members represent residents in the following wards - Gillingham Town, Milton on Stour, Ham, Wyke, Lodbourne and Gillingham Rural.  At the Annual Council meeting, held at the end of May each year, the Council elects a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor. 

The Town Clerk is the executive officer for the Town Council leading a team of operational and administrative staff consisting of an Office Manager (28hrs per week) Administrative Assistant/ Mayors Secretary (20hrs per week), Four permanent outside grounds and maintenance staff including a Works Manager and Head Grounds Man maintain the land and buildings owned by the Town Council.  Two Town Orderlies, one employed mainly on Agency Work, including street cleaning, and litter clearance, and cleaning of the public conveniences, for Stalbridge Town Council on a cost recovery basis.  An additional member is being recruited for the ground staff team for the 2011, spring / summer period, to meet the seasonal workload.

Meetings normally take place on Monday evenings, commencing at 7.30pm, except for Bank Holidays when they are moved to the Tuesday evening. The Annual Town Meeting is held on the last Wednesday in April each year. Agendas for meetings are published on the Wednesday prior to the meeting and placed on the Town Council notice boards which can be found at the following locations:- 

Outside of the Town Hall

At the front of St Mary the Virgin Primary School

Broad Robin Post Office

High Street opposite the Town Meadow

Lodbourne Green

Milton-on-Stour opposite the shop

The Press and public are welcome to attend all meetings and time is set aside at the start of the Committee meetings for comments and questions from members of the public and at the end of Full Council meetings. Members of the public can also speak prior to the start of a specific agenda item with the permission of the Chairman.

Items on the Staff and Salaries agenda are normally considered with press and public excluded, as they are deemed to be of private and confidential nature.

Gillingham Town Council has achieved Quality Town Council status.  At the Full Council meeting held on the 22nd March 2010, Mrs McDonaugh, The High Sherriff of Dorset, presented a certificate to the Mayor, Cllr Rupert Evill, confirming Gillingham Town Council's status as a Quality Town Council.

Cllr Rupert Evill stated “I am proud and delighted to receive this award on behalf of the Town Council.  It underlines the commitment of our members and the professionalism of our staff to ensure the best possible and most cost effective services are provided to the residents of our town.  We will continue to work closely with other authorities and agencies.” 

The concept of Quality Parish Councils was introduced by the Government in the Rural White Paper in 2000 and was officially launched on July 1^st 2003.  Alun Michael MP, the Minister responsible for Local Government Issues, said of the Scheme that it provides “confirmation and assurance that those awarded with Quality Status are representative, competent, well managed, and able to take an enhanced role.”

In order to meet the requirements of The Quality Parish Council Scheme, the Council passed a number of rigorous Quality Tests.