Annual-Report-2013-2014

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Chard Town Council
Annual Report
2013/2014

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Mayor’s Annual Report
It seems only a few months ago that I was elected Mayor and now we are at the year’s
end. At the beginning of my term of office I promised to lead the Council with dignity,
honesty and pride, to achieve this I have tried to visit as many groups and organisations as
possible. Mark Hambrey the Mace Bearer, Revd. Cresswell Whitton my chaplain, Andy my
Consort and I have taken the mace and regalia to as many people as we can. Some of the
more memorable events have been the overseas visitors to the town, such as the
Helmstedt visitors who came on a twinning visit and the Rotarians from Texas who we
treated to a traditional cream tea in the Town Hall. Great Britain has a proud tradition for
its customs and our visiting parties were both greeted by Chard’s own Town Crier
Stuart Cummings welcoming them to Chard. They loved the traditional costumes and
history of the chain and the mace (I even attempted a short speech in German for our
Helmstedt visitors).
I was proud to parade the regalia at the Carnival along with eight other mayors in their
finery. We also had other visiting dignatories that were not able to walk the route but
watched the event from the Town Hall balcony alongside some of Chard’s former mayors
and other guests. Chard Carnival is one of the town’s biggest events and has Chard Town
Council’s continuing support along with several other organisations such as the Museum
and the Youth Club.
During the year the Council has developed stronger links with many other community
bodies. After many years the Christmas Lights “hot potato” has at last been settled with
the Town Team taking responsibility for arranging not only the lights but also for providing
a whole evening’s entertainment for everyone to enjoy. This has been helped through the
purchase of a high lift platform by Chard Town Council to help the erection and
dismantling of the lights in addition to the pledge of an annual grant of £1000. Work has
continued with a small number of Councillors and representatives from two of the town’s
football teams to enable temporary changing facilities to be provided on Jocelyn Park for
the teams that have played on the park for many years. The purchase of new grass cutting
equipment will also hopefully provide a better environment and use of the park until the
new Chard Regeneration Plan provides the pitches that we so very badly need in Chard.
Jocelyn and Henson Parks have also been used by community groups such as Streetspace
and the Town Team for events such as the Henson Park Community Day and the Summer
Festival.
The annual grants scheme has continued with many small community groups benefiting
from small amounts of money to move projects that may have fallen by the wayside
otherwise.
The running of the Saturday outdoor market has been taken over by the Town Council and
we are about to have the Royal Charter, which was drawn up in 1683, returned to us by
SSDC. It is hoped this will form part of celebrations that will take place in July as part of a
series of events arranged through the Town Team.

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As Mayor I have tried to be as accessible as possible, visiting groups such as the Stroke
Club, Chard Hospital and the Methodist Youth Club, and inviting many organisations to ‘tea
with the Mayor’ during a Tuesday afternoon in the Mayor’s Parlour. We have eaten too
much cake but we have met and talked to an amazing amount of volunteers and people
within the business community within our town and tried to understand what it is that
makes their organisation work and how we can help - quite often it is the same thing, for
voluntary groups - more members, perhaps you can help? I also sit on the front desk of
the Guildhall from 9am – 10am every Thursday to be available to people to talk to. I have
found it is a great way of getting to know people, not just for problems but maybe just to
say hello.
You may not know that the Mayor has an allowance from the Council; this was £3,500 for
the current year. Before I was Mayor I did not fully understand how this was spent and for
the first time this year I will be publishing at the Annual Parish Meeting a breakdown of
expenditure showing how the allowance has been spent. You will see that a lot of the
money has been spent on hire of the Guildhall. Whilst the Mayor has free use of the
Mayor’s Parlour all other event hires have to be paid for just as any other hirer using the
Guildhall would have to. I have used my £3,500 to raise over £7,500 for my three charities
who will all benefit from an equal third, this will be presented at the Annual Parish
Meeting.
Finally, it has been a great honour to be mayor of Chard for this last year, it has given me
the opportunity to do things that I would not have been able to do as a councillor alone.
Andy and I have gained many lasting memories and for this I thank you all.

Councillor Mrs. Jenny Kenton
Mayor of Chard

April 2014

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The Town Clerk’s Report
It has been another exceptionally busy year which has seen many changes and a number
of initiatives, projects and exciting events taking place in Chard.
A number of projects have been completed that have been done in partnership with other
organisations. One of these has been the refurbishment of Pig Lane with the new brick
paving, this was done through South Somerset District Council with financial support from
Chard Town Council. This area has really benefited from the works and as one of the
gateways into town it now creates a more favourable impression of town when you enter.
Chard in Bloom/Chard 2000 gave a generous donation towards the refurbishment of a
number of the town’s blue plaques and this work was carried out earlier in the year. It is
hoped shortly to update the leaflet that accompanies the trail to include the most recent
plaque that was commissioned to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
During July last year a week long event called Chard Festival hit the streets, it included a
show by CATS (Chard Amateur Theatrical Society), a display of the town’s regalia in the
Mayor’s Parlour, a themed fancy dress parade through town to the ‘party in the park’, a
horticultural and craft show all culminating at the end of the week with an exciting
fireworks display and the lighting of the town’s Beacon. These were just some of the
events that took place. All this was organised by a small, dedicated group of volunteers
who worked tirelessly to put on a a series of events that catered for all tastes and was
something that Chard could be proud of!
The Town Team has been busy again over the last year and has managed to pull off some
impressive achievements too. The opening of a new ‘Pop-Up’ shop to enable budding
entrepreneurs an opportunity to have a low cost retail experience without any long term
commitments has been successful. October saw a very popular Halloween event in the
Guildhall that had the young people of Chard queuing to get in and who could forget the
biggest and best yet Christmas Event. It also turned out to be Chard’s inaugural Santa
Run, organised by the Mayor, with an amazing turnout of people running, walking, jogging
and a few determined citizens in their mobility scooters – well done to all who took part!
Let’s hope this will become part of the annual celebrations.
The Autumn was busy and saw the culmination of a project to improve accessibility to one
of the Council’s parks in Bampton Avenue. The new pathway means that people pushing
prams and other wheeled vehicles can also enjoy this area with a new bench to sit on and
enjoy watching the children play.
The storms before Christmas posed some real difficulties for staff, particularly those
working outside and the high winds and rain made all tasks frustrating and challenging. A
number of calls were received and the team responded well to the increased work by
clearing fallen debris and removing trees from areas where they had been blown over.
Assistance was provided to Somerset County Highways in closing off Pig Lane as roof tiles
were flying around and also to the District Council with some chainsaw work. I think we
can count ourselves lucky though as Chard did not suffer the flooding that was
experienced elsewhere, the aftermath of which is still felt not far from here on the
Somerset levels.
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There have been a number of changes to the staff that work for the Council, both outdoors
on the Amenities Team and those behind the scenes based in the Guildhall. Eva White
retired after twenty three and a half years of loyal and dedicated service to the Council –
what an achievement! Two departmental reviews also saw a number of internal change
overs and the staff has responded well to new members joining their teams and making
them feel welcome. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of staff
who have worked hard and supported their colleagues during this period of change and I
am proud that despite often being shortstaffed, have continuously delivered a high
standard of service across all areas.
I have no doubt that further changes will undoubtedly be afoot, this is an ever changing
landscape and it is a challenge to meet new demands and embrace new methods of work.
Despite the continuing pressure on the economy Chard has much to be thankful for and
we can all enjoy the strong sense of community that exists within our town. It is always so
heart warming at this time of year to look at the nominations for the Outstanding Service
Awards and recognise how many people selflessly give of their time and energies in
helping others. Chard Town Council, its Members and Officers, is committed to serving our
community and has a real desire to see it continuing to develop and flourish.

Sarah Robson
Town Clerk

April 2014

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Organisation and Accountability
Chard Town Council is comprised of fifteen elected members each representing one of five
areas of the Town. These areas are known as wards. Each ward has three members,
Combe, Crimchard, Avishayes, Jocelyn and Holyrood. This arrangement makes sure that
we have a truly local government in Chard. The Council committees saw some changes for
2013/2014 and are now made up of Guildhall & Amenities, Finance & Personnel and
Planning & Highways. There is also an Allotments Sub Committee which works in
association with the Allotment Holders Association. This year has also seen a number of
working parties that have been set up on a task and finish basis as and when necessary.
These included the Chard Festival working group, the Football working group and the
Guildhall Promotions working group.
All meetings of the Council and its committees are open to the public and press to attend.
There are some occasions when for reasons of confidentiality members of the public and
press are excluded. This is by means of a resolution in accordance with the requirements
of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960. These matters are usually, but not
restricted to issues such as ‘Staff in Confidence’ or ‘Commercial in Confidence’. At most
meetings time is set aside, usually fifteen minutes, before the meeting starts for members
of the public to address, make statements or ask questions of the Council.
In accordance with statute, at the end of each financial year the accounts of the Council
are available for public inspection for a period of twenty-one working days. This period is
advertised and facilities are made available for members of the public to come and
examine the Council’s accounts. As the Council is committed to a policy of openness and
transparency any reasonable request to view the accounts, or any other aspect of Town
Council work, will try and be accommodated at any time of the year.
The Council has a new website which contains a lot of information about services and
functions of the Council. There are many downloadable forms available relating to
allotments and the cemetery. All of the minutes of the Council’s meetings are available also
and can be downloaded. If you do not have access to a computer and wish to see copies
or extracts of minutes these can be made available for you to view at the Guildhall upon
request in advance.

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Chard Town Council – How to get in touch
Town Councillors
Your Town Councillors are elected democratically by the people of Chard. They are not
paid but act in a voluntary capacity to serve their local area. It is the Councillors that make
the decisions and steer the direction in which the Council goes.
Avishayes Ward

Mrs. Cath Morrison (Liberal Democrat)
Graham Forsyth
(Independent)
Mrs. Tricia O’ Brien (Liberal Democrat)

01460 239120
01460 67202
01460 66104

Combe Ward

Mrs. Sara Dowell (Liberal Democrat)
Andy Kenton
(Liberal Democrat)
Martin Wale
(Conservative)

01460 261898
07591 087347
01460 65190

Crimchard Ward

Julian Dorse
(Liberal Democrat)
Mrs. Jenny Kenton (Liberal Democrat)
Tony Prior
(Independent)

07882 191108
07591 087347
01460 65144

Holyrood Ward

Mrs. Brennie Halse (Conservative)
Garry Shortland
(Liberal Democrat)
Mrs Sue Wyatt
(Liberal Democrat)

01460 67422
01460 67357
01460 61370

Jocelyn Ward

Dave Bulmer
(Independent)
Martin Dowell
(Independent)
Ms. Sandra Pittwood (Independent)

01460 67917
01460 67143
01460 67481

Details of Councillors’ addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses may be obtained
on request from the Town Clerk and are also available on the Chard Town Council website
under the page ‘Council’.

Council Officers
The Town Council’s team of staff, which currently stands at eighteen, is led by Sarah
Robson, the Town Clerk. The Operations Manager is the second most senior officer who is
directly responsible for the Guildhall and Amenities teams.

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How to contact us:
Visit us at:

Chard Town Council
The Guildhall
Fore Street
Chard
TA20 1PP

Tel: 01460 239567
Fax: 01460 261661
email: sarah.robson@chard.gov.uk
email: operationsmanager@chard.gov.uk

Other Council officers may be contacted through the Town Clerk or by phoning the
reception desk on 01460 239567.

Finance
The precept for the year 2013/14 was set at £530,854 equating to a local parish
precepting charge of £121.43 for Band D properties. This was a rise of £4.26 from the
previous year which equated to an approximate increase of 3.6%.
Last year saw changes in policy at central government being imposed on district councils
relating to the Council Tax Benefits Scheme. This in turn had a knock on effect on town
and parish councils. In 2013/14 Chard Town Council received a Support Grant of
£67,825.00 to offset the effect of the Council Tax Benefits Scheme but this grant is not
guaranteed for future years and is only a transitional arrangement. For 2014/15 the
Council has approved its budget which totals £708,258.00 with a precept request of
£478,102.00. The Members were keen to ensure there would be no increase in the level of
local precepting through the Council Tax bills. Other income will come from the Precept
Support Grant which for 2014/15 is £67,650 monies taken from the Council’s reserves and
other income from the provision of services and outside contracts. Chard town’s precept
continues to be in line with other towns of similar size within the South-West Region.

Council Tax
Council Tax for the other local authorities responsible for Chard has been set for the year
2014/15 at the following levels:






£121.43 for Chard Town Council
£150.74 for South Somerset District Council
£1027.30 for Somerset County Council
£171.37 for Avon & Somerset Police Authority
£76.89 for Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue
£1547.73 in total and based on Band D Properties

The average bill for South Somerset is £1498.19

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Summary of Accounts for 2012/13
Item
Amenities Including Capital
Street Cleaning
Cemetery
Market
Allotments
Guildhall
Tourist Information Centre
Support & Other Services
Grants
Precept
Contribution to/from reserves

Total

Expenditure £
147561
55084
26762
337
3686
188947
21004
177954
12397
0
68682
702414

Income £
20151
57378
26237
3933
4015
45490
8309
6047
0
530,854
0
702414

Summary of Budgeted Accounts for 2013/14

The Accounts for the year ending March 2014 have not been finalised and audited. The
figures below are the budgeted accounts for 2013/14.
Item
Amenities Including Capital
Street Cleaning
Cemetery
Allotments
Market
Guildhall
Tourist Information Centre
Support & Other Services
Grants
Precept Support Grant
Precept
Total

Expenditure
176684
61615
27071
3940
5000
204638
22818
188479
15000
0
0
705245

Income
11920
57000
29511
3610
9200
48450
9600
5100
0
67825
463029
705245

Other Legal Requirements
Chard Town Council is registered with the Information Commissioners Office to enable it to
hold information under the Data Protection Act 1998, The Freedom of Information Act
2000 and has adopted the Model Code of Conduct for the conduct of its Councillors.
The introduction in 2011 of the Localism Act saw many changes to democracy at a grass
roots level with the need for wider engagement with the electorate on a range of issues.
This new legislation has enabled greater opportunities, with provision under the General
Power of Competence, for town and parish councils to take responsibility for a broader
range of services and a greater freedom to act.
Sarah Robson MILCM
Town Clerk

April 2014
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