Annual-Report-2016-2017

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Chard Town Council
Annual Report
2016/2017

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Chard Town Council – Ward Boundary Map

A Vision for Chard
Chard will be a successful, vibrant, attractive town, where
people want to live, work, study and visit.
The town will have real and accessible transport links, decent housing provision for all,
excellent employment and business opportunities and a vibrant community life. It will be
clean, green, safe, active and prosperous, and a place to be proud of.

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Mayor’s Report
In many respects the past year has not been much different to many previous years. As
Mayor It is my fundamental duty to be impartial and fair to all. I along with other members
have sought to achieve a Council that is run with stability and efficiency, with a clear
understanding of our role within the organisation whilst recognising that we are elected to
serve the people of our town delivering services that enhance the well-being of our
community.
As Mayor during the last year I have completed almost 120 engagements, meeting many
people both in Chard and throughout Somerset. It is a very important that the Mayor
supports local organisations and events held in our town, and it is true to say that there is
so much positive work done behind the scenes that often goes unrecognised. I cannot help
to be impressed that there are such a variety organisations in our town that give many
people an interest to get involved with; this in itself brings the community together as a
whole. I would therefore like to acknowledge and express my gratitude to all involved in so
much positive work.
Another one of my roles as Mayor is to promote our town to other people who are not
familiar with what Chard offers in terms of location, history, environment, industry, places to
visit, and most importantly that it is a good place to live. I have done this through my many
Mayor’s engagements across our County. I believe that it is very important to be positive
about our town.
In June last year, I had great pleasure in accompanying one of our twinning committees in a
visit to our twin town of Helmstedt in Germany. Like the visit to Seica Mara in Romania a
few months earlier, this was an important engagement that is key to promoting our town
and keeping the continuity of a positive relationship with our continental neighbours.
There are a couple of events locally that I would like to highlight; the first occurred on July
14th last year when I had great pleasure in visiting a dear lady (Winnie Gray) celebrating her
100th Birthday at Sunnyside residential home. It was very heart-warming to hear about what
she has done throughout her life, working hard in particular when times were tough
including during the second World War.
The other local engagement that I would like to highlight was an event held in our
auditorium on 12th December last year; Holyrood Academy Awards Evening. This was a
presentation to the students who have achieved high standards in a variety of educational
and recreational activities in previous years. The thought that went through my mind was
the exceptional level of ability our young people have in Chard, we should all be very proud
of the fact that the young people of Chard have so much talent. This can only be good for
the future of our town, I am sure we are all very supportive of this and feel very assured
that Holyrood Academy has a very bright future.
Councillor Dave Bulmer
Mayor of Chard

April 2017

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Town Clerk’s Report
As I start to write my second Annual Report for Chard Town Council, I am reminded how
last year was a very busy time not only for the Council, but also for the wider community
coming together under the theme of Celebration!
Along with the Nation, Chard played its part in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations
starting with the lighting of The Beacon at Crowshute Link on the 21st of April, the Queen’s
official birthday.
The Guildhall then hosted three very royal affairs for the Town to be part of during May; the
first was a successful 1940’s themed Three Counties Swing Band evening and the following
morning saw families and young people embrace their creative side with ‘Have A Go’
workshops, including the task of designing flags for Chard Town Centre. The weekend
ended with a celebratory 1940’s themed High Tea, where customers enjoyed traditional
British afternoon refreshments and were taken care of by traditionally dressed servants!
To continue the theme, in July we were pleased to unveil the flags that had been designed
and 42 colourful and imaginative flags were put up outside local businesses in the town.
Despite a few teething troubles this year, they did look lovely and really brightened up the
town centre. We hope to sort out the minor issues we had with them staying in place and
see them flying again in 2017. As the flags went up, Holyrood Street and the Guildhall
hosted vintage goods and crafts in our themed street market and fair.
Finally, on Sunday 24th of July Jocelyn Park hosted the annual Party in the Park for the final
celebrations of the Queen’s birthday! Many thanks to the Town Team for all their hard work
putting this party event together.
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. We wish well to
those who have moved on to new opportunities and warmly welcome the new additions to
our team.
2016 also saw a change to the elected Members of the Council as Mrs. Brennie Halse
resigned due to family commitments and Dave Orchard joined the council. Cllr. Orchard was
a member of Chard Town Council previously and we welcome his expertise.
Over the Summer we moved the office staff onto the top floor of the building. This means
that the administration team is now all together in one space for the first time. Coinciding
with changes to our IT and phone system we hope this will see improved communications
both amongst the staff and also with our customers. As ever, the Reception desk is manned
throughout the day, so if you call into the Guildhall you will find someone ready to deal with
your enquiry.
The changes now see all our hireable meeting rooms together on the second floor of the
Guildhall, including the creation of a new smaller informal meeting space that is now
available to hire.

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We can never be complacent in how we work together and how we deliver our services; this
is an ever-changing landscape and it is an exciting challenge to meet new demands and
embrace new methods of work.
With this in mind, we are currently coming to the end of an Organisational Review that is
being led for us by the Community Council of Somerset. The aim of this is to explore the
most cost-effective and operationally sound organisational structure for the Council, both
now and going forward into the future. We will also examine and review the current
relationship between Elected Members, Committees and Sub Committees to determine the
most appropriate best practice, in line with any necessary legislation.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of staff who have worked
hard and supported their colleagues during periods of change and I am proud that despite
often being short staffed, they have continuously delivered a high standard of service across
all areas.
My role here as Town Clerk reminds me daily that 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
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 in the years to come.
Zoe Truong
Town Clerk
April 2017

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Organisation and Accountability
There are three tiers of local government, each with different responsibilities. Chard Town
Council is the first and most local tier, with an important role to play in promoting the town,
representing its interests and supporting the work of different groups in the community.
South Somerset District Council is the second tier and is responsible for services including
car parking, housing and street cleaning. Finally, Somerset County Council’s responsibilities
include highways (relating to both roads and pavements), education, health and social
services, public rights of way and libraries.
Chard Town Council has fifteen elected Councillors who are elected every four years and
represent one of five areas in the town, known as wards. Each ward has three members;
the wards are Avishayes, Combe, Crimchard, Holyrood and Jocelyn.
The Town Mayor and Deputy Town Mayor are elected annually at the Annual Town Council
Meeting in May. Councillors are unpaid and commit their time to improving Chard and
maintaining it as an attractive and sustainable place in which to live, visit and to do
business. Elections were last held in May 2015 and are scheduled to be held next in May
2019.
The full Council meets bi-monthly (3rd Monday) in the Town Hall at The Guildhall. All
meetings are open to the public, with a period of time set aside for members of the public to
address Council. 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’.
In addition to the full Council meetings there are three standing committees; Finance and
Personnel (F&P), Guildhall and Amenities (G&A) and Planning and Highways (P&H). P&H
meet every month to act as consultees on planning applications and highways issues. F&P
and G&A meet in rotation on the months between full Council meetings. Again, all meetings
are open to the public.
Working groups are formed to deal with issues as they emerge and may include nonCouncillors. There are currently working groups on the Saturday Market, Tourist
Information Centre, Youth Engagement and Community Grants Awards, as well as two sub
committees dealing with Allotments and Personnel.
1. Finance & Personnel Committee is authorised by Full Council to take
responsibility for the preparation of the Councils annual precept, review of the longerterm strategy of the Council, monitoring and scrutinising of the budget. In addition,
the Committee takes responsibility for the regular review of Standing Orders,
Financial Regulations, Insurance, Risk Management, Policies and Terms of Reference.
It has delegated responsibility to make expenditure against the Council’s
Administration Budget. The Committee monitors the Council’s Monthly Accounts
Reports and takes appropriate action to ensure compliance with budget.
2. Guildhall and Amenities Committee oversees the management, maintenance and
enhancement of the Guildhall building, including maximising the continued use of the
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building by external groups. The committee works to ensure that the Town Council
plays its full role in promoting the cleanliness, safety and development of the town
and its open spaces. It has responsibility for setting Guildhall hire charges, allotment
rents, market rents and cemetery fees subject to approval of Full Council.
3. Planning and Highways Committee make observations on all planning
applications and planning issues, including Development Briefs, Local Plans, Structure
Plans and Development Control and to make site visits where necessary. The
committee works to ensure that planning matters are exercised in accordance with
the legislative and policy requirements of the Council with due regard for the
individuals and communities affected, the economic effects, sustainable and
environmental impacts
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 30 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.
The Town has an electorate of 9,858 as of 1st April 2016.

Town Council Staff and Management
The Council currently employs a total of ten full-time staff and six part-time staff, with two
vacancies. The current staffing structure allows for six members of staff working in
Administration, four working supporting the Guildhall and eight in Amenities, covering street
cleansing, parks maintenance and the cemetery. These are made up of a variety of full and
part time roles.
The administration of the Town Council is led by the Town Clerk (Zoe Truong) who is
appointed by the Council. The Town Clerk must carry out all the functions required by law
as the Town Council’s Proper Officer and issue all statutory notifications.
She is supported by the Deputy Town Clerk (Tracy Lamb), who is also the Responsible
Financial Officer for the Council, with specific duties relating to the budget, annual accounts
and audit to ensure proper financial management and transparency
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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.
Avishayes Ward

Mrs. Cath Morrison
Garry Shortland
Dave O’ Brien

01460 239120
01460 61592
01460 66104

Combe Ward

Andy Kenton
Mrs. Amanda Broom
Steve Warwick

07921 574019
01460 62102
01460 61977

Crimchard Ward

Mrs. Jenny Kenton
Martin Carnell
Mrs. Jenny Orchard

07921 574019
07411 696725
01460 67760

Holyrood Ward

Mrs Sue Wyatt
Jason Baker
Dave Orchard

01460 61370
07736 310805
01460 67760

Jocelyn Ward

Dave Bulmer
Mrs. Sara Dowell
Mrs. Irene Glynn

01460 67917
01460 261898
01460 238417

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’.

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 : financeofficer@chard.gov.uk

Other Council officers may be contacted through chardtowncouncil@chard.gov.uk or by
phoning the Reception Desk on 01460 239567.

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Finance
The precept for the year 2016/17 was set at £515,341 equating to a local parish precepting
charge of £124.04 for Band D properties. In addition to this SSDC awarded £49,650 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
£1.84 increase from the previous year.
The Precept Support Grant is reducing annually with Chard Town council being awarded
£15,800 for 2017/18, £33,850 less than the previous year. This reduction, in addition to the
need to ensure that a number of key projects in the Town are funded, meant the Town
Council felt it was prudent not to draw on their reserved funds as they have in previous
years
Reluctantly for 2017/2018 the Members felt there was no alternative but to increase the
Band D percentage. The precept demand was therefore set at £608,741 with a Band D
Equivalent for 2017/2018 of £144.33, an increase of £20.29.

Mayor’s Allowance
The Mayor’s allowance exists to help defray the cost to the Mayor whilst undertaking his/her
duties for the civic year. Chard Town Council is committed to accountability and
transparency in respect of all expenditure, including the Mayor’s allowance.
The term of office begins from the time of the election of the Mayor at the Annual Town
Council meeting. The current annual budget is £4,500, of which £3212.27 has been spent,
however this is subject to change until the new Mayor is elected on 15th May 2017.
Council adopted a policy for permitted expenditure in March 2017 and details will be
reported accordingly in future annual reports.

Council Tax
Council Tax for the three Local Authorities responsible for Chard has been set for the year
2017/2018 at the following levels: •
•
•
•
•
•
•

£144.33 for Chard Town Council
£157.48 for South Somerset District Council
£1,080.36 for Somerset County Council
£42.43 for Somerset County Council Adult Social Care
£181.81 for Avon & Somerset Police Authority
£81.57 for Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue
£1,689.98 in total and based on Band D Properties

Tracy Lamb
RFO

April 2017

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Summary of Accounts for 2015/16
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 £
£227,288
£53,060
£24,969
£3,288
£1,267
£217,671
£1,160
£191,560
£17,363
0
0
0
£737,626

Income £
£15,120
£48,879
£38627
£4,114
£5,906
£35,661
£1,305
£5,304
0
£55,930
£489,822
£36,958
£737,626

Summary of Budget for 2016/2017
The Accounts for the year ending March 2017 have not been finalised and audited. The
figures below are the budgeted accounts for 2016/17.
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
£364,300
£68,591
£27,698
£4,140
£1,890
£269,854
£3,050
£214,016
£24,500
0
0
0
£978,039

Income
£10,900
£49,000
£29,101
£4,300
£6,000
£42,830
£3,740
£7,115
£0
£49,650
£515,341
£260,062
£978,039

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.
Zoe Truong
Town Clerk

April 2017

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Chard Guildhall

Located in the centre of Chard – a perfect venue for meetings, seminars, wedding
receptions, theatrical productions and so much more!
The Guildhall in Chard offers a fully accessible venue that is available to hire. The building
offers a range of facilities including disabled toilets, kitchen, bar and café areas.
Equipment is also available to hire; projector, screen and microphones as well as a fantastic
stage facility complete with lighting and sound system.
Loading and unloading is permissible and parking is available nearby in the town pay and
display car parks.
Meeting Rooms and Capacity
Guildhall Auditorium
Town Hall
Mayor’s Parlour
Bondfield Room

seated audience with Balcony
seated at tables
empty hall

240
150
330
60
20
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*Outside of office hours there is a minimum two hour hire

Please contact the Reception Desk on 01460 239567 to find out more.
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