Annual-Report-2014-2015

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Chard Town Council
Annual Report
2014/2015

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Mayor’s Annual Report
This will be my last report as Mayor of Chard and it has been one of the best experiences
of my life so far, the ability to make a difference – which I believe is every councillors’ wish
– has really taken a forefront in my last two years. The difference that being Mayor has
made to the ability to talk to influential people has been amazing not only have I been able
to use my influence to help my five charities but I have recently written a letter to the
Mayor of Seica Mare to support the work of Project Romania in their most recent
developments. It is amazing how for very little effort on my part I can make a difference to
people from all parts of Europe.
One of these moments came across me when I sat in St Mary’s Church when the
celebration of the roof renovation took place. You may remember that I abseiled down the
church tower with many other local people (most with a lot less fuss than myself). I am
not particularly religious but when I sat and looked at what we had achieved as a
community I was humbled by the thought that the roof will hopefully stay secure for
hundreds of years and in the future people will remember the event with a fond heart.
The Urban Slide was another event that will stay with me for a long time. All parts of the
community pulled together to enable this fantastic day to take place. We got up at 5am in
order to be able to get it built in time for the scheduled first slide. People from local
groups, old and young all turned up and did whatever was needed to make this happen,
and although if asked I would say to other towns, don’t do it, it was a nightmare, when I
think of the smiles and happy faces we made that day, apart from the money we raised, it
was worth every long hour spent in meetings with local bodies.
I hope we have managed to make Chard Town Council a little less distant and make the
role of mayor, chaplain and macebearer more approachable to local residents of the town.
I truly believe that the regalia belongs to the people of Chard. We have been out as much
as possible talking to local groups and explaining how the mayor is chosen, the history of
the regalia and the work we do within the community. We have also made a database
within the Council with contacts of all the businesses and groups that we are aware of so
that we can make contact with each other more easily. Our challenge now is to keep that
information up to date and to build on the information, knowledge and skills that we share.
It was also my idea to have the “Town Hall Talk” each week in the Chard and Ilminster
News. It seemed to me that no one was really aware of what the mayor actually did and I
have tried to make my fortnightly report interesting and factual, trying not to report my
personal ideals and opinions but to give everyone a flavour of what is happening in their
town. This idea came from my wish to report back to you regularly about the work I was
doing.
We will say goodbye to many of our councillors after the election, some will not stand
again and some will possibly not be re-elected. I would like to say a big thank you to them
all. We didn’t always agree with one another but most of the time I thought we debated
with honour and respect for each others’ ideals. Elections are funny things, what other job
would you have to report every four years to 1500 people in order to keep a job – for
which you don’t get paid!

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The Council and the town has changed and will continue to grow and develop with the
times. There seems to be a real wish for Chard to be seen as the second largest town in
the District at last with several improvements in the pipeline. I know sceptics will say that
these have been in the background for years but I have to feel that we can achieve this or
there would be no point in standing again.
Finally, it has been a great honour to be Mayor of Chard for these last two years, the new
mayor will be elected on May 18th and I wish them all the best and hope they enjoy the
role as much as I have.
Councillor Mrs. Jenny Kenton
Mayor of Chard

April 2015

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The Town Clerk’s Report
It is always interesting looking back and reflecting on the changes and developments that
have taken place over the last twelve months since the previous Annual Report. And this
year is no exception as I turn my thoughts to the projects and plans that have been
achieved and those that are still a work in progress.
One of the big successes has been the Council’s involvement with the Probation Service
and the introduction of a partnership with the Community Payback Team. This has seen a
team of offenders coming in to Chard for one day each week and working outdoors as part
of their community service. They have been responsible for painting the railings around
St Mary’s Church, undertaking routine litter picking duties and also getting involved with
our own Amenities Team with a deep clean of the town centre. The additional man power
has really paid off and we have been able to complete additional works that would not
have been possible without their assistance.
Another project last year saw a campaign to raise awareness of littering in the town
centre; this was especially targeted towards encouraging the responsible disposal of
cigarette butts. This was achieved with the assistance of the Enforcement Officer at South
Somerset District Council and help from Keep Britain Tidy who provided publicity and
posters. The purchase of a new piece of equipment that operates like a vacuum but on an
industrial basis has proved useful in helping to combat this problem but it is an on-going
issue in our town centre and one which no doubt will continue to challenge the Team.
The Town Team has been busy again and last year saw them organising a number of
events in the town that included the Santa Run, Halloween night, and of course the big
Christmas Light Switch On. In addition was the very well supported Medieval Weekend
which also formed part of the celebrations for the handing back of the Charter to the town.
Whoever could have guessed that Chard would be blazing a trail in being the first town to
have an Urban Slide? A September sunrise saw a group of hard working volunteers close
off the town centre to install the 200 foot long water slide. This had been the vision of
Chard’s Mayor – Councillor Mrs. Kenton as part of her ambitious programme of fund raising
events. It generated a huge amount of interest from far and near and attracted hundreds
of participants eager to try ‘surfing’ down the High Street. The event was a huge success
and demonstrated what is achievable with determination, ambition and drive.
There have been a number of changes with personnel over the last year and I am very
pleased that we have been able to welcome several new members to the Council’s team of
staff. Ed Ringwood the new Operations Manager certainly hit the ground running when he
joined us in June and has been involved with finishing a number of projects. Amongst
them the installation of the markers at the allotment site in Chardstock Lane, the
completion of this work now makes identifying the plots very simple and will hopefully
eliminate any queries on site about the location of plots.
There have been many compliments received about the floral displays around town
especially last summer when the hanging baskets and flower beds started to come into full
bloom. The Amenities Team extended an invitation to the office staff to experience life
outdoors and a number of the ladies from the Administration Team took up the offer and
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helped out with planting up the flower beds – me included! It was certainly a good way of
encouraging team building and working together which provided an insight into how other
departments operate – a valuable lesson. The rather tired looking planters around the
town have been given a much needed makeover and are now boasting rather attractive
wooden surrounds. This was a project that was made possible through grant funding from
the District Council and it has certainly improved the visual amenity in and around the
town centre. I was delighted that last year’s floral displays were well supported by
sponsorship from businesses in Chard and without this continued support by local traders
and shops the Council would have to consider whether or not to scale this back.
There has been much activity within the Council’s committees and the Guildhall &
Amenities Committee has approved a number of large scale projects to enhance the
Guildhall. The first of these demonstrates a desire to show the Council’s ‘green credentials’
by the installation of photo voltaic panels to the rear of the building. This will aim to not
only reduce our carbon footprint but also to save the Council Tax payer’s money by
reducing the energy bills for the Guildhall. This project is still in the planning phase and will
hopefully be commencing shortly subject to approval from the Local Planning Authority.
Another large piece of work will commence in May with works to refurbish the exterior of
the Guildhall, again this is as a result of many hours work behind the scenes by officers
and Councillors keen to ensure this landmark building in Chard continues to not only look
its best but is fit for purpose for the next hundred or so years!
One of the benefits of being Town Clerk is meeting the large number of people I come into
contact with and during the last year it has been a privilege and pleasure to meet not only
many local residents but a number of foreign visitors that have come to Chard too. It
ceases to amaze me still the amount of time people are willing to give up for their
community, and this is evident locally by the number of voluntary groups and organisations
that are working in Chard to improve the lives of others. It is always rewarding at this time
of year to be able to read the nominations for those people who are put forward for an
Outstanding Service Award and it acts as a reminder that Chard is a place where the
community is served well by those that care. I hope that Chard will continue to develop
and improve and that we can all play our part in making it a great town.

Sarah Robson
Town Clerk

April 2015

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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; the
wards are Combe, Crimchard, Avishayes, Jocelyn and Holyrood. This arrangement makes
sure that we have a truly local government in Chard. The Council Committees for
2014/2015 were Guildhall & Amenities, Finance & Personnel and Planning & Highways.
There is also an Allotments Sub Committee which works closely with the Allotment Holders
Association and a Personnel Sub Committee with some delegated responsibility for the
Town Clerk. 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 Market working
group, the Football working group and the Newsletter 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. Changes to
legislation in 2014 now means that public meetings can be recorded, filmed or
photographed and the Council has adopted a policy to ensure it can safeguard children and
vulnerable adults.
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 External Audit
last year was completed by Grant Thornton and there were no matters of concern
identified or reported.
The Council’s website contains a lot of information about services and functions of the
Council and there are many downloadable forms available relating to allotments and the
cemetery. All of the minutes of the Council’s meetings and also its policies are available
and can be downloaded in a PDF Format. 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. Recent news events are also uploaded and details
of any vacancies that occur within the Council. There is also a comprehensive list of groups
and organisations on the website – if you know of a group that isn’t included please let us
know as we’d like to ensure information is easily accessible for the many organisations
based in Chard.

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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 and do not receive any allowances. It is the Councillors that make the decisions and
steer the direction in which the Council goes.
The list shown below is current at this time however is subject to change due to the local
elections that will be taking place in May 2015. Further information will be made available
on the Council’s website in due course.
Avishayes Ward

Mrs. Cath Morrison (Independent)
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

Mrs. Jenny Kenton (Liberal Democrat)
Tony Prior
(Independent)
Vacancy

07591 087347
01460 65144

Holyrood Ward

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

Dave Bulmer
Martin Dowell
Vacancy

01460 67422
01460 67357
01460 61370

(Independent)
(Independent)

01460 67917
01460 67143

Details of Councillors’ addresses, and email contact 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 twenty, is led by
Sarah Robson, the Town Clerk. The Operations Manager, Ed Ringwood 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: townclerk@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 2014/15 was set at £478,102 equating to a local parish
precepting charge of £121.43 for Band D properties. In addition to this SSDC awarded
£67,650 as part of the Precept Support Grant, a transitional arrangement that has come
about since Central Government imposed changes in the way council tax benefits are paid.
This was a rise of zero increase from the previous year as Members didn’t want to add any
additional burden to local council tax payers.
With the changes in policy at Central Government being imposed on district councils, South
Somerset has fared better than other areas where the district council has not passed on
any of the funding to the parish and town councils. However the Precept Support Grant is
reducing annually and reluctantly for 2015/2016 the Members felt there was no alternative
but to increase the Band D percentage in order to mitigate the reduction in the grant. The
Band D Equivalent for 2015/2016 is £122.20 an increase of 77 pence.
Chard’s town precept continues to be in line with other towns of similar size within the
South-West Region.

Council Tax
Council Tax for the three Local Authorities responsible for Chard has been set for the year
2015/16 at the following levels:
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
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


£122.20 for Chard Town Council
£147.75 for South Somerset District Council
£1027.30 for Somerset County Council
£174.78 for Avon & Somerset Police Authority
£78.42 for Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue
£1550.45 in total and based on Band D Properties

The average bill for South Somerset is £1501.59

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Summary of Accounts for 2013/14
Item
Amenities Including Capital
Street Cleaning
Cemetery
Market
Allotments
Guildhall
Tourist Information Centre
Support & Other Services
Grants
Precept
Transfer to reserves
Total

Expenditure £
141260
51746
26353
1856
4968
190804
22673
175834
13378
0
65379
694251

Income £
12193
54613
29857
7265
5939
38759
3589
11182
0
530854
694251

Summary of Budgeted Accounts for 2014/15

The Accounts for the year ending March 2015 have not been finalised and audited. The
figures below are the budgeted accounts for 2014/15.
Item
Amenities Including Capital
Street Cleaning
Cemetery
Allotments
Market
Guildhall
Tourist Information Centre
Support & Other Services
Grants
Precept Support Grant
Precept
Contribution from reserves
Total

Expenditure
157382
61554
26689
3730
2180
284115
23268
174340
20000
0
0
753258

Income
11560
55705
27211
4000
8500
38700
9530
7300
0
67650
478102
45000
753258

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 PLCM
Town Clerk
April 2015
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