Quarterly Report December 2011

GILLINGHAM TOWN COUNCIL

The Town Hall, School Road, Gillingham Dorset SP8 4QR

Tel: 01747 823588    Email: GillinghamTC@aol.com

www.gillinghamdorset-tc.gov.uk

Quarterly Report March 2012

The Mayor, Cllr David Milsted, has carried out the following civic duties on behalf of the town:

18^th December 2011 – The Mayor and Mayoress ‘presided’ over the Gillingham Civic Carol service, organised by Gillingham Churches Together in association with the Town Council. The Rev Peter Greenwood conducted a very enjoyable service of lessons and carols, highlights among which were the contributions of the Primary Schools Choir and our very own Gillingham Arts Workshop. The collection raised £422.24 for the War Memorial Fund.

21^st December 2011 – The Mayor and Mayoress attended the Rotary Club Christmas Dinner at the Olive Bowl

Sunday 29^th January - The Mayor visited North Dorset Rugby Club. This wonderful local facility never fails to impress, with matches, tag rugby and training sessions going on for all ages and hundreds of local children involved every weekend.

Tuesday 2^nd February – The Mayor, with the support of some Town Councillors, hosted a group of children from the Chantry House Day Nursery to answer questions about what goes on in our town. These ranged from ‘Why does the Mayor wear a chain?’ to ‘Why aren’t there any street lights in Pound Lane?’

Tuesday 28 February – The Mayor presented some of the prizes at the Gillingham Youth and Community Centre presentation evening.  The evening highlighted the young peoples’ Sri Lanka Charity Work, Duke of Edinburgh Accreditation Work and their “centre awards”. 

War Memorial – To date approximately £9,000 has been raised and an application for a grant from the War Memorial Trust for £4120 was successful. The restoration is due to start on the 26^th March and the associated landscaping work will follow during the summer of 2012.

Gillingham Direct - This joint initiative between Dorset County Council, North Dorset District Council and Gillingham Town Council provides a locally based location for customers to access services that are provided by the Town, District and County Councils. The opening hours are from 9am to 1pm Monday to Thursday and by appointment on Fridays. Access to the reception desk is through the front door facing School Road. The DCC Registration Service has relocated from St Martins in Queen Street to the Town Hall and a license has been obtained to hold wedding ceremonies. The first ceremony took place on the 25^th February.

New Staffing Structure – The Office Manager, Mr Phil Knott, retired at the end of March and Mrs Clare Ratcliffe has been appointed as his replacement.  Mrs Julie Hansford has been appointed Administrative Assistant with Miss Sam Mason as Receptionist/Mayors Secretary.  The new structure is designed to support the new Gillingham Direct (joint initiative between Dorset County Council, North Dorset District Council).

Town Meadow – A 25 year lease will shortly be signed to complete the transfer of the site from Hall and Woodhouse to Gillingham Town Council.  A management committee is being set up by the Town Meadow Regeneration Group with responsibility for landscaping and on-going maintenance of the site.

Land Transfer at Peacemarsh - The freehold transfer of this site is now complete.  Gillingham Town Council will be responsible for the future maintenance of the site with the exception of the cycleway adjoining the River Stour, which will be maintained by North Dorset District Council.  Saplings have been planted on the adjoining land at the rear of the Neal’s Yard site to create a Jubilee Wood with a grant from the Woodland Trust. Gillingham Town Council is considering extending this area to include land between the attenuation pond and the River Stour.

Hine Close, Shaftesbury Road – the open space land at Hine Close is in the process of being transferred to the Town Council.  On completion of the transfer a knee-high post and rail fence will be erected to discourage cars parking on this area.

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – The Town Council has set up a working party to organize a community event to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  The event will take place at the Hardings Lane Recreation Field on the Sunday June 3^rd

Cllr Colin Dann – sadly passed away on Monday 5 March.  He has been a member of the Gillingham Town Council since 1987 and served as Mayor in 1991, 1995 and from 2002 to 2006.  He will be a sad loss to the Town Council and the wider community.

Council Members and contact details:

Contact Your Town Hall:-

Quarterly Report December 2011

The Mayor, Cllr David Milsted, has been busy during the past three months carrying out civic duties on behalf of the town including the following:-

September 28^th Presentation to Air Ambulance – The Mayor attended Henstridge Airfield to present a cheque for £500, being the donation from Octopus Recruitment from the balloon race to celebrate the opening of their new Gillingham branch. It costs £3,400-00p a day to keep the helicopter on stand-by at Henstridge all raised from donations and fund raising activities..

September 30^thCarnival Concert – The Mayor and Mayoress attended an excellent concert to launch the 2011 Gillingham Carnival, and to crown the Princess. The Gillingham Imperial Silver Band performed superbly and it was a most enjoyable evening.

October 1^st`Gillingham Book Launch – The Mayor and Mayoress attended the launch, at Orchard Park, of the excellent new History of Gillingham by John Porter, published by the Gillingham Local History Society. A copy of this work, with a bookplate signed by the author, was presented to the Mayor on behalf of the Town Council.

October 3^rd Opening of Asda store – The Mayor attended the opening of the new Asda store by the Carnival Princess accompanied by her attendants and members of the Carnival Committee.

October 15^th Mayor’s Charity Auction -– The auction was a tremendous success raising the amazing total of £2,070-50p (net of expenses). Huge thanks are of course also due to all the local businesses and individuals who kindly donated items to be auctioned.

October 21^st Mayor and Mayoress attended the Devon and Dorset Regimental Association Dinner at the Olive Bowl. This was really a great treat and a very enjoyable and also moving evening, capped off by the very generous offer, on behalf of the Gillingham Branch of the Association, of a fundraising coffee morning on behalf of the Mayor's War Memorial Charity, in the New Year.

October 23^rd Mayor and Consort (Rowan Milsted) attended 'Gillingham Remembers', the British Legion concert at Gillingham School featuring the Wessex Regimental Band and the Wessex Highlanders Pipe Band. This was a simply superb event and a brilliant evening which did great credit to all involved

October 27^th Mayor and Mayoress attended the Lord-Lieutenant's Annual Award Ceremony at Kingston Maurward College where we enjoyed a very interesting presentation on the service in Afghanistan of the 6^th (TA) Battalion, The Rifles. Gillingham featured prominently in the Awards. Among the eight winners of a Certificate for Meritorious Service were Sergeant Major Instructor Jeremy Vincent Stockford of the Gillingham Cadets, and Flight Lieutenant Darran Hackshall of 932 (Gillingham and Shaftesbury) Air Cadets.

October 28^th Mayor and Mayoress attended the annual Gillingham Bowling Club dinner, another very enjoyable event at this flourishing local club. Our Council's support for the School Coaching event in the summer resulted in 240 pupils of Gillingham School learning to bowl, and a keenly contested Girls v Boys match in September

November 12^th The Mayor, who is also the Branch Chairman of First Dorset Credit Union, cut the ribbon at the new First Dorset Credit Union Service Point at the Community Office, Chantry Fields with assistance from the Town Crier.

War Memorial – To date approximately £9,000-00p has been raised and an application has been submitted for a grant from the War Memorial Trust, which, if successful, will enable the restoration and associated landscaping work to be carried out during the summer of 2012.

Precept for FY 2012-2013- With a deduction of £64,482- 20p for the estimated income during the Financial Year 2012/2013 and the addition of a contingency budget of £10,000-00p, the precept for the FY 2012-2013 was set at £458,478.15p   resulting in a charge of £101.53, per band D property, for the Town Council’s part of the Council Tax bill for the FY 2012-2013. This represents a 0.29% percentage increase on the precept current financial year and a 24pence reduction in the annual charge for a Band D Property as there are an additional 23 Band D Equivalent properties for 2012/ 2013.      

Gillingham Direct - This joint initiative between Dorset County Council, North Dorset District Council and Gillingham Town Council provides a locally based location for customers to access services that are provided by the Town Council, District Council and County Council. The opening hours are from 9am to 1pm every weekday morning. Access to the reception desk is through the front door facing School Road. The DCC Registration Service has relocated from St Martins in Queen Street to the Town Hall and a license has been applied for to hold wedding ceremonies.

Festive Lighting Parade - This year’s parade was the best supported yet. The Mayor judged the Festive Costume Competition, with individual girls and boys awards and a shield for the group award won by the Topsie Rabbit pre school nursery.  Members of Gillingham Carnival Committee marshaled the parade, starting from the Town Hall and led by the Town Band. The switch on ceremony, for the lights on the tree at the Town Meadow, was followed by carol singing conducted by the Reverend Greenwood and Curate Nicholas Mercer.

Council Members and contact details:-

Contact Your Town Hall:-