Annual Report 2019/20
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File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Annual Town Report Silloth-on-Solway Town Council Annual Report 2019/20 Page | 1 Annual Town Report 2019/20 Annual Town Report Welcome to the 2019/20 Annual Report. This report has been produced to highlight the activities of the Town Council over the last 12 months. Unfortunately due to the covid-19 lockdown we are unable to hold an Annual Town meeting this year but the Report has been made available online and if any resident has any questions about the contents of the report please contact the Town Clerk. Email: [email protected]. Contents Introduction 2 Contents 2 Mayor & Cumbria County Council Report 3 Town Clerk’s Report 4 About Silloth-on-Solway Town Council 5 Councillor Role & Responsibilities 6 Representatives on Outside Bodies 7 Staff 7 Committees 8 Allerdale Borough Council & Cumbria County Council Reports 9 Solway Coast AONB 10 Silloth Coastal Community Team 12 Longcake Education Foundation 13 Solway Community School & Sports Hall 13 Sea Dyke Charity 13 Silloth-on-Solway Sports Association 13 Silloth Tourism Action Group 14 Friends of Silloth Green 14 Neighbourhood Policing Team 15 Communication & Consultation 17 Services provided by the Town Council 19 Silloth Green 20 Google Reviews 21 Green Flag Award 22 Merchant Navy Day 23 Commonwealth Day 24 Big Fella Sculpture 25 Silloth Community Hall 26 Festivals & Events 27 Event Organisers 27 Finance 28 Budget Figures 29 Income & Expenditure Account 30 Balance Sheet 31 Contact Details 33 Contact Us on Social Media 33 Local Authorities 34 Information & Help 35 Covid-19 Guidance 36 Annual Town Report compiled by Town Clerk: Wendy Jameson Published: July 2020 Page | 2 Annual Town Report Mayor’s Report – Cllr. Mark Orchard Unfortunately, as I write my report we are in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic so I’d like to draw upon what a fantastic community we live in. As proved recently when times are hard, everyone in the community really has pulled together. This really is what makes us stand out and that is why there are not many places like our little town of Silloth. 2020 is certainly a year we are all going to remember for the rest of our lives and generations to come. As Town Mayor I would like to say a big thank to all our volunteers within the community no matter how big or small. Your effort has helped tremendously. Thank you to all the businesses in our town and to all our services within the community. A huge appreciation must go to our local schools, to our care homes providing a safe environment for their residents, our local surgery for providing outstanding care, to all our key workers in and around our town. Everyone has a part to play in our community and I’d like to thank you all for that. During my time as Mayor, I have had the privilege to serve and represent Silloth on Solway along with my Deputy Mayor, Cllr Graham Wilkinson at many events and functions county wide. Silloth Green achieving the Green Flag award yet again for - reflecting the hard work by our grounds maintenance staff, councillors and volunteers, again showing what a great community togetherness we have. One thing I would like to say to our annual event organisers is - please don’t be disheartened by the forced cancellation of this year’s events. I’m sure next year’s events will be a great success, as your dedication and hard work in previous years has proven. A local attraction which must get a mention is the famous Big Fella. This sculpture was built by the talented Ray Lonsdale and commissioned by the late Peter Richardson. We unveiled the sculpture named ‘Sunset’ along with Peter’s family. Since its unveiling 8 months ago, the Big Fella has attracted media attention country wide and has been visited by tens of thousands of visitors. It is proving to be another asset that has helped to keep Silloth on the map. Throughout the last year I have attended meetings. I met Cumbria Highways to ensure various issues with our roads regarding Solway street, street lighting, the drainage issues at Stanwix corner (B5300) and ongoing concerns. All of these will be addressed and is in their future budget so be assured we will keep pushing on with these. After several concerns regarding the cemetery, I met with the contractors who maintain Causewayhead cemetery. Even though this is within the Holme Low parish boundary, it serves the town of Silloth. The contractors have increased their schedule and feedback received from the community is positive. Going forward when we do get back to some sort of normality, the Town Council will be working together on a Town Plan. This will not only ensure we maintain the high standards we have been recognised for but give us a future target to improve and prosper, so Silloth continues to be the success it is. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Town Clerk Wendy Jameson, and my fellow Town Councillors for their dedication and giving up their time to represent our community. It can be easy to forget sometimes that our Town Councillors are all volunteers. This goes without saying how proud you should all be to be part of this amazing place we all call home, Silloth. Page | 3 Annual Town Report Town Clerk’s Report – Wendy Jameson We started the year with a new Council following the election in May 2019 - with some new faces and some familiar ones around the meeting table. There have been a few changes over the course of the year, with resignations, an election and a co-option. We currently have a vacancy on the Town Council, so why not get involved and see what difference you can make to your local community? As a local councillor, you can become a voice for your community and make a real change. Local councillors are community leaders and should represent the interests of the communities they serve. Local councillors have to be residents of the area their local council serves, making them the most local part of our democratic system and closest to the community. If you’re interested, there is more information available on the Town Council website. One of the highlights of the year for me was seeing the arrival of the Big Fella sculpture. After receiving regular updates and photographs from the artist Ray Lonsdale, it was amazing to see it finally in place on the seafront, looking out to sea. Since the installation of the Big Fella, it has attracted a lot of interest from visitors, with many photographs appearing on social media, including an amusing video of Ozzy, the rescue springer spaniel, who mistook the giant statue for a real person and wanted him to throw a ball for him. I’m sure the sculpture will make people smile and brighten their days for many years to come, just as Mr Richardson had intended. Over the last couple of years, I’ve become involved with the Friends of Silloth Green, as I thought it would provide a better link with the Town Council. It has been wonderful to see the group grow, with the start of regular volunteering sessions on the Green. Horticultural guidance is provided by Judith, with Carol rallying the volunteers with her regular blog posts. We have a great group of people, all with their own skills to share and ideas for future projects. We’ve had a number of successful funding applications this year and also support from local businesses which will enable us to continue the work that has already been started. Keep a look out for updates on Silloth Today and on our own Friends of Silloth Green Facebook page. The Covid-19 pandemic this year has certainly had a big impact. We have seen groups, individuals and local businesses going above and beyond to help their local community during the lockdown. Hearing all the clapping and pans being banged on a Thursday evening in the weekly ‘Clap for our carers’ was quite overwhelming. Now with the easing of restrictions, there have been a multitude of risk assessments to complete, looking at each individual place, service or activity, identifying who uses them and the risks to these people when they do. We have been guided by the Government guidance available at the time which is often only issued within days of restrictions being lifted. The Town Council then considers what measures it is able to put in place to protect people from those risks. Once a decision is made to reopen the particular facilities, the necessary measures then need to be implemented. We understand it may be frustrating when facilities are not opened as quickly as you would like but please be assured the Town Council and it's staff are doing all that they can to reopen everything in a safe and timely manner. All we ask is to please show some understanding and patience and above all, please respect our staff who are working under immense pressure during these unprecedented times. We welcome any comments on this document or the services Silloth Town Council provides. To contact the Town Council write to:- 5 Burnswark Terrace, Solway Street, Silloth, Cumbria, CA7 4EF. Tel: 016973 31128 Mob: 0777 5686857 Email: [email protected] Web: www.silloth-on-solway-tc.gov.uk Also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Page | 4 Annual Town Report About Silloth-on-Solway Town Council Silloth-on-Solway Town Council serves the Town of Silloth with a population of approximately 3,000 residents.