At the ANNUAL TOWN MEETING of the BRIDPORT TOWN COUNCIL Held in the Town Hall, Bridport

At a MEETING of the BRIDPORT TOWN COUNCIL held in the Town Hall, Bridport on Tuesday 20 April 2010 at 7.00 p.m.

PRESENT Cllr C.M. Ray - Town Mayor

Cllrs G.J. Ackerman Ms F.K. McKenzie Miss S.A. Brown Mrs M.J. Ray N.K. Cast D.G. Rickard P.J. Colfox R.J. Stoodley K.A. Day D.R. Tett J.D. Hunt K.G. Wallace P.J. Lathey (from 7.05) Ms S.J. Williams

Prior to the start of the meeting, the Town Mayor’s Chaplain, Reverend Janis Moore, said prayers.

PUBLIC FORUM

Inspector Caroline Naughton, Sergeant Jon Bleasdale and PC Scott McGregor made a presentation to the Council on current policing matters. This included:

- information on current performance and crime figures.

- policing of West Bay and the joint agency approach to addressing “joy riding” including education on the dangers of speeding, backed up with enforcement.

- the Pubwatch scheme, which now included 27 premises, and had been very successful in reducing incidents of late night disorder.

The Mayor thanked the police for their presentation.

41. APOLOGIES

An apology for absence was submitted on behalf of Cllrs: Ms R.C. Kayes and C.D. Wild.

42. MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting held on 2 February 2010 were confirmed as a correct record and were signed by the Town Mayor (Chairman).

43. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

The following interests were declared:

8 March Plans Minutes – Cllr Ms F.K. McKenzie declared a personal interest in application A8/146 – 96, Orchard Avenue, as she lived close to the property. The application was reported for information only.

27 12 April Plans Minutes - Cllr P.J. Colfox declared a personal interest in planning application A9/406 - Land to the rear of 261-265, St Andrew Road - as he had an interest in land in the area. The application was reported for information only.

24 March Environment and Social Wellbeing Minutes - Cllr P.J. Colfox declared a personal interest in minute 45 – Cycle Routes - as he said that part of the Maiden Newton to Bridport Trailway may be owned by a family member.

44. STANDING ORDER 14 (b)

There were no questions pursuant to standing order 14(b).

45. MINUTES OF COMMITTEES

(a) PLANS COMMITTEE

The minutes of the meetings of the Plans Committee held on 1 February, 8 March and 12 April 2010 were presented by the Committee Chairman, Ms S.J. Williams.

The Council considered each set of minutes separately.

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meetings of the Plans Committee held on 1 February, 8 March and 12 April 2010 be received.

(b) FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE

The minutes of the meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee held on 7 April 2010 were presented by the Committee Chairman, Councillor Mrs M.J. Ray.

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee held on 7 April 2010 be received and the recommendations therein be adopted as set out below:

(Minute 103) PUBLIC FORUM AND COUNCIL PROCEDURE

The recommendation was moved by Councillor Mrs M.J. Ray and seconded by Councillor Miss S.A. Brown. It was put to the vote and declared to be carried and

RESOLVED: that the following amendments be made to the Public Forum:

(1) the Public Forum provisions be extended to sub committees, given that members of the public are often present and wish to speak on agenda issues, and

(2) wording be added to Standing Orders to the effect that the Chairman has the discretion to rule whether the issues raised in the Public Forum are relevant to an agenda item, or in the interests of wider public discussion relating to Council business. The wording to be drafted by the Town Clerk and agreed by the Council.

28 (Minute 106) PROPOSED NEW ALLOTMENTS

The recommendation was moved by Councillor Mrs M.J. Ray and seconded by Councillor R.J. Stoodley. It was put to the vote and declared to be carried and:

RESOLVED: that the following transfers of land be approved to the Town Council for use as allotments: -

(1) Land at Priory Gardens be transferred as a gift,

(2) Land at West Allington be leased for 20 years at £100 per year, and

(3) The Town Clerk be given delegated authority to draw up legal agreements in each case.

(Minute 113) CALENDAR OF MEETINGS

The recommendation was moved by Councillor Mrs M.J. Ray and seconded by Councillor D.G. Rickard. It was put to the vote and declared to be carried and:

RESOLVED: that the Calendar of Meetings for 2010/2011 be approved with the following three amendments: -

(1) Environment and Social Wellbeing – 17 November 2010 (2) Finance and General Purposes – 24 November 2010 (3) Council – 30 November 2010

(Minute 114) APPOINTMENTS TO OUTSIDE BODIES

The recommendation was moved by Councillor Mrs M.J. Ray and seconded by Councillor R.J. Stoodley. It was put to the vote and declared to be carried and:

RESOLVED: that the nominations for the two organisations be: -

(1) DAPTC – Cllr Ms S.J. Williams, with Cllr Miss S.A. Brown as a substitute member, and

(2) Axe Valley and West Dorset Ring and Ride Service – vacant.

The minutes of the meeting of the Environment and Social Wellbeing Committee held on 24 March 2010 were presented by the Committee Chairman, Councillor D.G. Rickard.

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the Environment and Social Wellbeing Committee held on 24 March 2010 be received and the recommendations therein be adopted as set out below:

29 (Minute 42) CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY

The recommendation was moved by Councillor D.G. Rickard and seconded by Councillor Mrs M.J. Ray. It was put to the vote and declared to be carried and:

RESOLVED: that the Climate Change Strategy be adopted by the Council.

(Minute 45) CYCLE ROUTES UPDATE

The recommendation was moved by Councillor D.G. Rickard and seconded by Councillor Mrs M.J. Ray. It was put to the vote and declared to be carried and:

RESOLVED: that the Council give its support to the Sustrans project to convert the Maiden Newton to Bridport Trailway into a path for walkers and cyclists.

(Minute 46) FAIR TRADE STATUS UPDATE

The recommendation was moved by Councillor D.G. Rickard and seconded by Councillor R.J. Stoodley.

The Committee Chairman confirmed that indications of support would be sought from the public for convening a Steering Group.

The recommendation was put to the vote and declared to be carried and:

RESOLVED: that the Council reaffirm its support for Bridport being a Fairtrade town and seek indications of interest in convening a Steering Group to pursue accreditation, as required under the Fairtrade criteria.

46. COMMUNICATIONS

The following items were reported for information:

(1) The Town Mayor reported his list of engagements, ENCL: 2177 and that his Civic Night would be held on Thursday 22 April 2010 at the Arts Centre.

(2) The Town Clerk reported that the Power of Wellbeing training for councillors would be held at Mountfield at 6pm on Monday 17 May 2010. It was imperative that at least 15 of the 18 councillors attended, in order to achieve the 80% attendance necessary, to meet the criteria to use the power.

The meeting closed at 7.50 p.m.

The next meeting of Bridport Town Council will be held on 20 May 2010