Author: Sonya Ward

The weather forecast for March that I read says that it will be a cold month.  Time for indoor pursuits and one which I would recommend to you would be a visit to Mere Library and Museum. With a good selection of reading materials and such helpful staff and volunteers it is easy to spend purposeful time there and, if you have youngsters with you, there is plenty of provision for them.  In the museum there is a standing exhibition of Mere history as well as resources relevant to Mere where you can find out about the Town and area that we live in.  There is also a changing display on topics of local interest.

If you look through the diary in Mere Matters, I am sure that you can find other things to attend or groups to join.   While there are so many things to watch on our televisions these days, few of them can hold a candle to spending some time with other people in a common pursuit and all within walking distance of your home.

Last March I reported on a highways meeting (LHFIG) where we persuaded the meeting to take on our suggestions to improve road safety at Edgebridge and Hazzards Hill.  While money has been allocated, progress has been slow and we are still waiting for Wiltshire Council teams to finalise the matters and send in teams to make them happen.

At our February council meeting we took on board suggestions from Councillor Hansford about how we (the Town Council) communicate with residents and how we market Mere.  The Chair’s contribution to Mere Matters will look different and be, hopefully, more useful to readers.

• We also discussed measures to improve the Public Conveniences by the Salisbury Street car park, doing as much of the work ‘in house’ to keep costs down.
• The Vice Chair and I signed off the Council Action Plan for allocating the funds we receive from the Wiltshire Towns Program. Which will, over the next two years, go toward:
  • Promoting Mere in an online vehicle called Explore Wiltshire Events.
  • Improving planters and seating in the towns.
  • Adding some new Blue Plaques
  • The artist in Mere – Solstice Beacon
  • Another event – smaller but similar to AIM last year.
  • Promoting walking in Mere with maps and trails
• We heard from our Wiltshire Councillor about plans to improve the walking route to Hillbrush.
• As usual, we had planning matters to consider and checks on the town council’s finances.

John Jordan

Chairman, Mere Town Council

for information on Town Council activities, minutes, agendas, etc lindseywood@merewilts.org 860701 merewilts.org

Information from the Town Clerk:

Town Council Elections

The Wiltshire Association of Local Councils has organised a special online event for anyone interested in standing for their local Town or Parish Council in the May 2025 elections.

If you are interested in finding out more about the role of the Councillor, the way a Town Council meeting works, which services a Parish Council can influence and how the Parish Precept is raised and spent, then this is the session for you!

Join a panel of experts drawn from a variety of roles within Town and Parish government to ask your questions and understand more about the role and responsibilities our representatives have on the first tier of government.

This event is for anyone interested in standing for election in May.  To receive the joining instructions, please email Ian Nockolds the Local County Advisor at inockolds@communmityfirst.org.uk

Event Information

Date

05/03/2025

Dates

Wednesday March 5th 2025

Time

18:00 – 19:00

Open to

Open to anyone thinking about standing for their local Town and Parish Council. This event is NOT for current Councillors.

By Zoom

Anyone booking the event will be supplied with the link to the Zoom meeting ahead of the event.

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The Wiltshire Marque

A new accreditation scheme helping shoppers locate Wiltshire food and drink was launched in October 2024.  The aim of the scheme is to collaborate and keep people buying from local companies who source, make and sell their products locally.  It is to celebrate craft and passion in Wiltshire food and drink makers.  Participants of the scheme will be showcased on a searchable, online directory that members of the public and businesses can access for free, which will also include news and updates from the initiative’s members, interviews with local businesses and foodie event listings.  The Wiltshire Marque is being funded by Wiltshire Council’s ‘Wiltshire Towns Programme’ which is aimed at supporting activity on the high street.  If you are interested in signing up or participating, please see the website below:

https://www.wiltshiremarque.co.uk/?trk=public_post_reshare-text

Town and Parish Council elections take place on 1^st May.  For anyone interested in standing for their local council, and who may have questions about the role of Councillor, there is an hour-long online session from 6.00p.m. on 5^th March to provide background information and a chance for prospective candidates to ask questions and better understand the way the Councils work. For more information and to join the session see link below:

Your Parish Council Needs You! – March 5th | Wiltshire Association of Local Councils

The new adventure trail in the playground at Castle Hill Lane will now be open.  Now, we will be setting our eyes on improving the larger play area on the recreation ground.  This has many users and we shall be seeking their opinions on how best to provide for youngsters and their parents.  Our project coordinator and councillors have visited other play areas to garner ideas.  We want to make improvements that will make the recreation ground more amenable to all users.  I would hope that 2025 will see a new and popular revision to this important feature of Mere.

The Mere Literary Festival was, again, a successful event for the people of Mere and brought visitors into town.  Wiltshire provide some funding for the purpose of making Mere attractive to visitors and we discussed plans for the coming two years at the October council meeting.  One aspect of this will be our ensuring that what happens here in Mere is published on a website called ‘Explore Wiltshire Events’.  ‘Mere Matters’ gives you and me detailed information about what is happening in our town which will now be publicised to a much wider audience.   We shall allocate some of the funding towards improving the town dressing and to commemorating noteworthy residents with blue plaques.

We have taken another step forward to providing EV charging spaces in Salisbury Street Car Park with the signing of the licence agreement.  In conversation with the provider of the equipment, once this paperwork is finalised, it will not be long before this will be available to electric vehicle users in Mere and we intend having favourable tariffs for Mere residents.

We shall be looking at how the Public Conveniences can be improved and whether we can provide a small community hub there as well.  This will be an expensive matter and we are likely to have to use a government loan to realise our plans – you will hear more about this as the plans develop.

I was pleased to attend, like many councillors, the AGM of Seeds4Success.  This is always a pleasure, seeing and hearing from the young people of the area and those who work with them.  This is a really marvellous asset for Mere and I will thank them for their combined efforts.  Well done Seeds4Success!

I was disappointed to report to the council that we are no further forward with communication or action from the Local Highways Improvement Group.  We have important matters, such as the safety of pedestrians at Edgebridge and the safety of all at Hazzards Hill, where our plans are at a standstill.

Do come along to our next council meeting on the 4^th November, in the Andy Young Pavilion and see local government in action.  In the same week, on the 9^th do come along to the fireworks event provided by the Friends of Mere School.  This is a very popular event and I would suggest that you walk to it as the roads around the school were jam packed last year.  I hope to see you there for lots of ‘oohs and aahs’.

I would like to start with a big thank you to the committee, the volunteers, the entrants and the sponsors for the splendid afternoon and evening entertainment of Mere Carnival.  I hope that I don’t sound like a broken record but it is pleasing to see how Mere benefits from the hardy groups of volunteers for so many enriching activities.  If you go into The Square on a Wednesday morning, you will see a group of walkers setting off with volunteers leading and organising the walks. On Saturdays, you will see volunteers manning the Food Bank.  At various times during the week, you can pop into the library and find it managed by volunteers and alongside them a museum wholly organised by volunteers. I could go on with more examples but I shall stop and ask an important question of you.  Is there some way in which you, too, can enrich our town by giving a hand or sharing your knowledge?  If so, then please do so.

One group of volunteers are the town councillors and last month we heard from residents about their opinions and then looked at planning applications.   If there is a planning application that affects you, please come to a council meeting and talk to councillors in the public session but do make your feelings known on the Wiltshire planning website.  We discussed the slow progress with our applications to Wiltshire Council Local Highways Improvement Group for traffic control changes to improve safety on Hazzards Hill and Edgebridge.  On current form, I cannot see anything happening for at least a year!

We discussed what would be contained in a Town Council response to the public consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.  I am indebted to a group of councillors who gave up their time to meet again with our Clerk to formulate a response.  Decisions made to increase the supply of houses affects everyone in the country but we felt it important to stress how this should be done in the best way to suit small rural communities like Mere.

The Town Council will soon (November) have its annual budget meeting and I would ask you to let us know where you feel we should be allocating monies to maintain and improve Mere for the benefit of all residents.  DO come along to a council meeting (the first Monday of the month at 7pm at the Duchy Manor site) and say your piece!

John Jordan – Chair, Mere Town Council

Wiltshire Council has published the draft Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document which sets out the vision and framework to allocate land for Gypsy and Traveller communities in Wiltshire.  Comments are invited during the consultation period which runs to 5pm on Friday 4^th October.

The Gypsies and Travellers DPD and supporting evidence documents are available to view and download at https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planning-gypsy-travellers  and people can also download a representation form and a simplified guidance note from this page.

Here is a link to the recent NPPF webinar from Wiltshire Council: National Planning Policy Framework webinar, 14 August 2024 – YouTube

Mere Town Council has requested, through Wiltshire Council’s Local Highways & Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG) process, that the 30mph speed limit currently in place on the C59 Shaftesbury Road, Mere be extended to cover the section of road currently subject to a 40mph speed limit to ensure that there is a consistent speed limit in place along the road.

An independent speed limit assessment arranged through the South West Wiltshire LHFIG considered the introduction a 30mph speed limit to be appropriate for the length of road in question when assessed against the criteria for introducing a 30mph speed limit detailed on DfT Circular 1/13 Setting Local Speed Limits.

The Traffic Regulation Order currently being consulted upon proposes the extension of the 30mph speed limit to cover the length of the C59 Shaftesbury Road currently subject to a 40mph speed limit.

Deposit copies of the Order, plans and Statement of the Council’s Reasons for proposing to make the Order may be inspected at the offices of Wiltshire Council, County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge during normal office hours. Details of the proposed scheme may be seen at Mere Library, Barton Lane BA12 6JA during the hours of 10am to 7pm Monday, 9.30am to 5pm Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am to 2pm Wednesday and 9.30am to 1pm Saturday until 23rd September 2024.   Details of the proposed scheme may be seen at Mere Town Council offices, Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere BA12 6EW during the hours of 10 am to 3 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays.  Documents can also be viewed online at https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/troconsultations

Comments on the proposal together with the reasons for which they are made should be sent in writing to reach the Sustainable Transport Group, by email to TrafficOrderConsultations@wiltshire.gov.uk or via the website by 23rd September 2024 quoting reference LJB/TRO/MERE30.

During August this year Mere Town Council will be organising an event that promotes activity and fun.

The Activities in Mere (AIM) event will take place between 9^th and 11^th August and will encourage, this year, the over 50’s in Mere to try or retry sports and leisure activities, some of which will be adapted to promote participation.  We hope that the event will not only encourage people to try something new, but that they may boost the membership of clubs and societies in Mere, as well as promoting health and wellbeing. We are providing this event using funds we have obtained from the Wiltshire Towns Fund.

More details will be provided in the coming weeks, in the meantime we would be grateful for any offers of assistance to help organise or provide a sport or activity. For further information please contact Roger Pipe, Project Co-ordinator at Mere Town Council Tel 860701.

Each month, the Town Council looks at planning applications and we decide on our support or objection with reasons.  I must make it clear that the decision is made by the Wiltshire Planning team based on planning regulations but they do take into account comments made by us and by interested parties.  Your voice can be heard on planning applications so do take the opportunity to go to the Wiltshire website and add your comment.

Feedback from residents has prompted us to consider a new approach to the format of the Annual Town Meeting. This will take place on the Wednesday, 24^thApril from 6 to 8 pm in the foyer at Duchy Manor where we will be providing information boards with details of the various groups in Mere such as the Carnival and the Link Scheme.  There will be information boards, and councillors to talk to, on the work of the Town Council and how this relates to the work of Wiltshire Council.  There will be boards with ideas and future plans with space for your comments and, importantly, a suggestions board where you can add your suggestions.  We are hoping that this format will give residents more of an opportunity to ask questions, comment and generally participate, rather than at a formal meeting.  We are required to have some formalities and so at 6:15, I shall give the Chairman’s report and minutes from last year.  Comments posted on the boards will be gathered together to form minutes and will be considered at our next council meeting.

In our last meeting we considered the implications of Martyn’s Law (which relates to the protection of premises in acts of Terrorism) for Mere and commented on the public consultation website.  We also took note of the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority’s Community Safety plan. One interesting fact is that they are attending fewer emergency callouts and spending more time going out to residents and companies to discuss safe measure in the home and business.

As a result of a recent announcement made by Gillingham Town Council that their cemetery is now closed for new burials as they have run out of space, Mere Town Council has taken the decision not to permit any burials for non-residents.  This means that if you do not live in Mere, you will not be able to be buried in Mere cemetery unless you have already purchased a plot.  This decision has been taken to preserve our cemetery space for Mere parishioners.  We will, however, still permit the purchase of cremation plots by non-parishioners, at double-fees as per the previous policy.

I was determined not to mention it but must say…    ….I do hope that, after this wet winter, we are spared the April showers!

John Jordan

Chairman, Mere Town Council

for information on Town Council activities, minutes, agendas, etc lindseywood@merewilts.org 860701 merewilts.org

Due to the fact that the Clock Tower is a Listed Building in the centre of the town which is in the centre of the Conservation Area, the Town Council has a policy for the erection of display banners on the Clock Tower.   The Town Council will only permit a maximum of 4 banners for community/charity events held within the town per year.  The four banners for 2024 have now all been allocated as follows:

• Mere Spring Fair & Family Fun Day – 20^th April 2024
• Proms in Mere (Tower Stories project) – 13^th July 2024
• Activities in Mere (Activity event for weekend of 9^th – 11^th August)
• Mere Annual Carnival – 14^TH September 2024

Lindsey Wood

Town Clerk

March has been described as a month pulled back by winter’s cold and forward by spring’s warmth, this year I think we would all ask for it to be either, but dry! At the last Town Council meeting we heard from a group of councillors about ways in which we might make the most of the grounds and open spaces available to us in Mere.  There are a great many activities which take place here from archery to tennis and much more, but we will be looking to extend what is available to residents.  Our plan looks to find enthusiasts in activities which do not already have a place on the Mere calendar and to hold an event later in the year for others to try these activities out, watch this space for news of what will happen.  One such newcomer, which you will have seen information about on these pages, is pétanque and we shall be improving the facility on the old swimming pool site.

I have been to the LHFIG (Highways) meeting where, with our Project Co-ordinator and our County Councillor, we were able to put forward plans to make Hazzards Hill, Edgebridge and the end of Manor Road safer places for all road users.  This is one step in a process which can take some time, but we will keep engaged until we realise our aim – of safer roads in Mere.

I had asked for suggestions for the commemoration of 80^th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June and am pleased to report that we have had representations and will be holding a quiet tribute at the War Memorial.  Though it will not be large, in the way of some recent commemorations, it will be important and will mark this day with due respect.

While it is not our business to provide banking in Mere, we are concerned about news that the Lloyds Bank mobile service is due to end in May.  My thanks to Ted Hanson for drawing our attention to this.  Here is a link to the information about this: https://www.lloydsbank.com/banking-with-us/mobile-branch/closures.html.    If this change is going to affect you then do contact Lloyds Bank. If you let us know as well, we would then make a representation from the Council about the impact on the community.

The Town Council has embarked upon a joint project with Wiltshire Council to make improvements to the footpath running from Clements Lane to Angel Lane – which is to be named ‘Eric Mitchell Way’.  Work will start on 4^th March which will mean that the footpath will be closed for the duration of the works.  The official footpath closure is for 8 weeks but we will endeavour to re-open the footpath as soon as it is safe to do so.

John Jordan

Chairman, Mere Town Council

for information on Town Council activities, minutes, agendas, etc lindseywood@merewilts.org 01747 860701 merewilts.org