Annual-Report-2017-2018

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Chard Town Council
Annual Report
2017/2018

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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

As we come towards the end of my first year as Mayor it’s good to reflect on the years
events. The year has seemed to have just flown by from the robing event which was the
public acceptance of office.
A big part of being Mayor is attending events here in Chard and around the County and
neighbouring Counties, this is a way of promoting Chard and relationships with other Towns.
It is important for a Mayor, first and foremost, to have the interests of Chard firmly in their
heart to do their best for the residents and business providers of the Town. In today’s
economic climate this is a considerable undertaking.
I have had the great pleasure in attending a number of shop openings over the past year
and it is good that people have had faith to open up in Chard and it is our duty to support
our local shops and services. I have had great pleasure in attending events here in Chard
and would like to say a big thankyou to everyone who gives up their time to put on the
events. The Easter hunt for the children and to promote the retailer of the Town, the
summer festival which allows organisations to have stalls to raise funds for their work,
Cllr Sara Dowell and Rev. Cresswell Whitton who organised the opening of the old court
house and was my court clerk when we recreated the workings of the court and tried
visitors to the court with real cases this was a great success.
It was my great pleasure to take part in the carnival last year accompanied by other mayors
of Towns, some of which do not have a carnival anymore, we must be all grateful to the
small band of people who put on the carnival. One of my favourite events in the Town is the
Halloween event, organised by Chard Town Team, which seems to get bigger each year and
it is great to see young families having fun in a safe environment. A special time of year is
the Christmas lights switch on, our Town has one of the best lights around and I would like
to give thanks to Chard Town Team for their involvement but a huge thankyou to the
amenities team who erect the lights and do the bulk of the work. None of these events
would be possible if it were not for the people who close the road for us and who take the
abuse from motorists.
This is where we all can help. The groups need volunteers, without them these events will
not be possible so if you can help please do contact them.

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I had the honour of being at the launch of the poppy appeal and taking part in the
remembrance parades. This year is a special year as it is 100 years since the end of the
first world war and events to mark this are happening in Chard.
I had the pleasure to be involved with Holyrood Academy during my year, firstly at their
awards night and lately at the Duke of Edinburgh awards in Yeovil where they are one of
the biggest participants and this is something we should be proud of our young people.
Over Christmas I had the pleasure of meeting our residents in the nursing homes which
ranged from just a cup of tea to getting covered in flour helping them to make biscuits.
I also had pleasure in welcoming visitors from our twin town of Helmstedt, here in the
Guildhall. It is good this relationship is still going strong thanks to a small group of people.
Lastly, I would like to say thankyou to all who looked after myself and others with tea and a
bacon roll during the clearing of snow earlier this year it would be good if anyone wishing to
help in the future could send in their details to Chard Town Council so that we can compile a
register.

Councillor Garry Shortland
Mayor of Chard

April 2018

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Deputy Town Clerk/RFO’s Report
The Council have undertaken an Organisational Review, led by the Community Council of
Somerset, which has provided recommendations for the most cost-effective and
operationally sound organisational structure for the Council, both now and going forward
into the future. We have already made progress with two new posts filled by our Guildhall
manager and Outdoor Services manager who are working hard with their teams to continue
to improve the services provided to the Town.

The top priority that Council have recognised from the review is the development of a plan
for engagement with the local community to identify their priorities, which will help to
influence the objectives set out within the Business plan and objectives and overall strategy
for the Council.
We look forward to consulting with the people of Chard in the coming year to challenge our
existing services, to shape the way our service is delivered in the future and to prioritise
future spending.
Councillors will determine the principles and direction of the three-year plan and will work
with the Town Clerk and officers to support its delivery. We will also work hard to improve
awareness and understanding of all the Council’s activities and services and encourage
increased participation and engagement across the board.

Finance
The precept for the year 2017-2018 was set at £608,741, Members having reluctantly felt
there was no alternative but to increase the Band D percentage, equating to a local parish
precepting charge of £144.33 for Band D properties. This equated to a £20.29 increase
from the previous year. Council felt it was prudent not to draw on their reserved funds as
they had in previous years
SSDC awarded a Precept support grant of £15,800 (£33,850 less than the previous year), a
transitional arrangement that has come about since Central Government imposed changes
in the way council tax benefits are paid.
The Precept Support Grant is reducing annually with Chard Town council being awarded
£5,420 for 2018-2019.
For 2018-2019 the precept demand was set at £631,341 with a Band D Equivalent
of £148.08, an increase of £3.75, with £87,049 being taken from reserves. Officers have
been tasked with working towards making savings for a balanced budget in 2019/2020.

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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 £2,582 has been spent,
however this is subject to change until the new Mayor is elected on 14th May 2018.
Council adopted a policy for permitted expenditure in March 2017 and details of expenditure
are as follows:
Mayors Allowance

Amount

Tickets to events
Refreshments for Mayors events
Hire of the Guildhall for Mayors events
Raffle prizes
Volunteers/staff events
Staff leaver donation
Singer for Mayors event
Total

£418.00
£713.56
£619.61
£12.47
£578.53
£40.00
£200.00
£2,582.17

Council Tax
Council Tax for the three Local Authorities responsible for Chard has been set for the year
2018-2019 at the following levels: 







£148.08 for Chard Town Council
£162.48 for South Somerset District Council
£1,115.99 for Somerset County Council
£76.17.43 for Somerset County Council Adult Social Care
£193.81 for Avon & Somerset Police Authority
£84.01 for Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue
£1,780.54 in total and based on Band D Properties

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Summary of Accounts for 2016-2017
Item
Amenities Including Capital
Street Cleaning
Cemetery
Allotments
Market
Guildhall Including Capital
Tourist Information Centre
Support & Other Services
Grants
Precept Support Grant
Precept
Contribution from reserves
Total

Expenditure
£243,842
£56,428
£19,927
£3,302
£2,024
£190,895
£846
£222,698
£11,354
0
0
0
£751,316

Income
£15,273
£55,489
£34,966
£3,603
£5,142
£32,661
£7,734
£5,053
£0
£49,650
£515,341
£26,442
£751,354

Summary of Budget for 2017-2018
The Accounts for the year ending March 2018 have not been finalised and audited. The
figures below are the budgeted accounts for 2017-2018.
Item
Amenities Including Capital
Street Cleaning
Cemetery
Allotments
Market
Guildhall Including Capital
Tourist Information Centre
Support & Other Services
Grants
Precept Support Grant
Precept
Contribution from reserves
Total

Expenditure
£180,100
£79,850
£27,850
£5,300
£3,248
£228,039
£3,270
£225,100
£16,055
0
0
0
£768,812

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Income
£11,300
£50,000
£31,071
£4,600
£6,000
£35,550
£1,130
£4,620
£0
£15,800
£608,741
£0
£768,812

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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. Council also have a Personnel Sub Committee (PSC) to support the
Town Clerk in the appointment and management of staff and to manage the Town Clerk.
The PSC meet every month but these are business meetings and are therefore not open for
members of the public to attend.
Working groups are formed to deal with issues as they emerge and may include nonCouncillors. There are currently working groups on the Saturday Market, the Guildhall/LIC,
the Newsletter, Youth Engagement, Skate Park, Armistice and Community Grants Awards, as
well as a subcommittee dealing with Allotments.
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.
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2. Guildhall and Amenities Committee oversees the management, maintenance and
enhancement of the Guildhall building, including maximising the continued use of the
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 would like to ensure information is easily accessible for the many organisations based
in Chard.
The Town has an electorate of 10,230 as of 1st April 2018.

Town Council Staff and Management
The Council currently has posts for a total of eleven full-time staff and eight part-time staff,
(four posts are currently vacant).
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
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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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.

Tracy Lamb
Deputy Town Clerk/RFO
April 2018

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Chard Outdoor Services
New cemetery markers have arrived and been installed to help the public visiting the
cemetery to find the plots they are looking for if there is no operative available.
The team were busy putting up Christmas Lights over the festive period to illuminate the
town for all to enjoy. Now that the lights are down we are already looking forward to
planning the event again for the coming year.
The Community Payback initiative remains a valued asset carrying out unpaid work in the
town in support to the Outdoor Services Team. Work includes collecting excessive litter,
painting, removing graffiti and clearing footpaths. On any occasion when numbers of
Payback attendees may be reduced, the work can still proceed but without charge to the
council under such circumstances.
The Outdoors Services Team, along with Cllr Garry Shortland and Cllr Baker, must be
praised for their hard work not only once but twice during extreme weather conditions in
March, with disruptive snowfall. This lead to the town being immersed into a Winter
Wonderland with access around the town being extremely treacherous. The new purchase
of a Quad bike together with Snow plough arrived just in time for the second deluge of
snow. The time to clear pavements and the cemetery was greatly reduced, together also
with only one person needed to drive the Quad bike to complete this task, with help to
follow with gritting.
We have received many positive remarks from not only the public, business owners but also
the Police for the effectiveness of the Quad bike and snow plough. The Quadbike will also
be used for many other tasks throughout the year, namely sweeping, weed spraying and
gritting.

Shirley Pitman, Outdoor Services Manager
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Chard Guildhall

As a Grade 2 listed building the Guildhall requires a Quinquennial survey, which is a fiveyear report on the condition of the building. A full review of the building is currently in
progress and this together with the Quinquennial report will identify the immediate and
long-term maintenance needs of the building.
The Guildhall was refurbished some 15 years ago and some equipment is in need of
replacing or updating. We are pleased to have a new projector in the auditorium to provide
an enhanced experience for our hirers.
We are pleased to confirm that local information can still be obtained from the Local
Information Centre at the Guildhall and visitors are assisted by our team of excellent
volunteers and staff.
The building continues to be used by many local groups and organisations and has recently
been the venue for the Pantomime, Wrestling and the successful Earth Hour event. The
Antiques, Craft & Vintage Fair continues on a Thursday and we are actively searching for
additional stall holders and someone to run the Café.
A survey is being run on Facebook and Chard Town Council websites as well as in hard copy
to ensure we direct our resources towards improving the Guildhall and to consider
suggestions for future events.
Sue Gay, Guildhall Manager
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