Billericay Town2012 Guide and Information Directory ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Local Guide The Town Council Clubs and Societies Arts • Sport • History Education • Facilities Provided FREE by Billericay Town Council CONTENT & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Content Town Council . Page 3 Youth . Page 6 Youth Activities . Page 8 Clubs & Societies . Page 10 Arts & Crafts. Page 26 Sport. Page 40 History . Page 48 Education . Page 52 Billericay Services . Page 56 Places to Visit . Page 63 Family Outings. Page 69 Acknowledgements Billericay Town Council thanks all those individuals and organisations who have contributed to the production of the seventh edition of the Town Guide by providing editorial material and photographs. The Town Council members of the Working Party chaired by Councillor Marion Wilson were Councillors John Buchanan, Robert Chapman, Jim Devlin and David Knight assisted by the Town Clerk Helen Philpott and Administrative Assistant Madeline Gapes. Photographs were supplied by members of the Town Council and other contributors. Thanks also to David Vinten, Graphic Designer, who helped, advised and converted all the material into the seventh edition and also Jarvis Print for ensuring that the printing deadline was met. Contact the Town Council by writing to the Town Clerk, The Loft, Crown Yard, Billericay CM12 9BX; telephone: 01277 625732 or emailing: [email protected] Front cover photograph: Billericay War Memorial. Back cover photographs: clockwise from top left – Launch of fine commercial printers Healthy Shortcuts Brochure, Youth Council at Celebration of Christmas Lights, Billericay in Bloom, Official Opening 20 radford crescent, billericay, essex cm12 0du of new skatepark, Litter Pick, Winners Best Christmas Shop t 01277 622860 f 01277 658060 m 0777 444 9261 Window Competition, Greening Campaign Poster e [email protected] e [email protected] Competition, Demonstration at skatepark. Every effort is made to ensure that information is correct, however Billericay Town Council will accept no responsibility for any errors, omissions or spelling mistakes. 2 Billericay Town Guide TOWN COUNCIL Town Guide Introduction Standing Orders. elcome to the seventh edition of the The Council has three committees Planning, Billericay Town Guide which will again Environment and Finance & General Purposes. Wbe delivered free to every home in the They report their activities every five weeks to the Billericay Town area. Full Town Council. Each of these committees Our booklet goes from strength to strength every deal with the working parties and project groups year, often causing us the enviable problem of reporting in to their respective line committees. wondering how to fit everything in. This just Full Town Council, Planning, Environment and shows what a vibrant and lively place Billericay is. Finance & General Purposes meetings are We are indebted to all those clubs, societies and advertised and held in public but are not public organisations who have taken the time to send meetings; meaning, that the public can attend, us information about what they have been doing register their interest and speak when invited to and also their plans for the future. Our special do so by the Chairman of that meeting. thanks go to our graphic designer David Vinten The project groups and working party meetings and to Jarvis Print who have printed this edition are not held in public but can co-opt individuals 2012 promises to be a bumper year with the from outside who can contribute their expertise Queen’s Jubilee, the Olympic Games and all the to the subject. This has happened on many events that will be happening locally. Don’t occasions. forget that we now have a Community News Our funding comes from Council Tax, decided section in the quarterly Town Council by the Town Council but collected by Basildon newsletter, The Town Crier, so you can keep District Council and paid to us in two lump everyone up to date with what you are doing sums, half in April and half in October. This is whether it is a celebration that has already about £20 per year for an average property in happened or an event that you want us to Billericay. We also seek outside funding for publicise. specific projects where appropriate. Cllr. John Buchanan Town Council representatives were very pleased Chairman Billericay Town Council to receive 1st Place in the Communications Cllr. Marion Wilson Award when attending the Essex Association of Chair Town Guide Working Party Local Councils Annual General Meeting. This was in recognition of the Council’s Town Crier Newsletter plus the town’s Design Statement The Town Council produced by the Design Statement Association. illericay Town Council is made up of 20 The Town Council’s mission statement is: to elected and co-opted members, who give encourage, promote and provide a service to our Btheir time freely and are not paid residents over and above those provided by other attendance allowances. The Town Clerk and her local authorities which is effective, caring and part time assistant are the only two permanent relevant to all ages and generations to come. employees. The Town Clerk is the Responsible The present Councillors will remain in office Financial Officer and presents our accounts for until the elections at the beginning of May, 2012 audit both to internal and external auditors. She so any residents interested in standing for is also responsible for keeping the council legal Council, to assist in serving the community, will and is very involved in our day to day activities. be able to obtain further information at the We also are very careful to have clear audit trails beginning of 2012. For information the elections for all our business and we operate an open and will be held on Thursday 3rd May 2012. democratic system in accordance with our Billericay Town Guide 3 Finance & General Purposes Committee opportunities. It consists of eleven Town he Finance & General Purposes Councillors. Its objectives are to: Committee has a role similar to that of a Identify, approve and monitor projects TFinancial Director in a company. It is the concerned with environment issues; committee’s responsibility to scrutinize the Approve and monitor environmental financial performance of the Council and to expenditure; ensure that the Council remains within Seek funding opportunities; budgetary constraints. In the financial times that we now live in the Create project plans and estimates. committee is focused on delivering value for A number of Working Parties and Project money and ensuring that residents have a stable Groups answer to the Environment Committee precept (council tax) applied by the Town which includes, where possible, representatives Council. from community groups and interested The following Working Parties/Project Groups members of the public. The Working Parties and report directly to the Finance & General Project Groups address a wide range of Purposes Committee: environmental projects such as: Town Crier: The Town Council produces four editions a year of its newsletter which is delivered free to all homes in the Billericay Town Council area. This Working Party forms the editorial committee for the Town Crier. Information Technology: Manages the Council’s IT infrastructure. Town Guide: This Working Party is responsible for this publication which is produced every two years. Youth Town Council: The members of this Working Party provide advice and assistance to Billericay in Bloom winners 2011 members of the Youth Town Council. Billericay in Bloom: manages the annual ‘I Love Billericay’: This is a newly formed gardening competition; Project Group which is looking at ways of: Christmas Lights: responsible for the High making Billericay an even more pleasant place Street’s Christmas Lights including the to live, play work or visit; “Celebration of the Christmas Lights’ switching- on ceremony in November and the ‘Best Shop encouraging people to use the local shops, Window Display’ competition; restaurants and businesses; Recreation Facilities: the main focus here has facilitating ‘green’ responsibility in the town. been on Lake Meadows where the Town Council Assets: This newly formed Project Group is has supplied or worked in partnership with looking at taking over possible assets within the Basildon Borough Council in provision of new town and the first such asset transfer is that of and enhanced recreational facilities; Festival Garden, Crown Road where a twenty five Festival Gardens: 2011 saw us acquire a long- year lease is to be entered with Basildon Council. term lease to manage and maintain the Gardens with the aim of improving this peaceful Environment Committee sanctuary within urban Billericay; he Environment Committee reports to the Litter: organises the twice-yearly Litter Picks as full Town Council with responsibilities well as reviewing litter black spots, enforcement Tfor a wide-range of environmental and the provision and maintenance of litter bins; 4 Billericay Town Guide Basildon Borough Planning Department of our views. We try and ensure that any objections are based on certain Guidelines as laid down (Not that we do or do not like it). Also as a result of the completion and acceptance of the Billericay Design Statement we are now able to review plans using the criteria as set out in this document, it’s not just gathering dust, it is a very useful tool and guide. This means it is a busy committee with a greater requirement to handle the work of reviewing not Streets clean enough to eat off only Planning Applications but also responding to Local, Regional and National Government Hanging Baskets and Planters: manages our consultations on matters that affect the town. hanging baskets and various planted displays throughout the district including at the town’s This year we have had a number of our new entrances; councillors putting themselves forward to be members of this committee and we regularly Town Trail: oversees the summer town walks; have a full quota enabling us to handle the work.