Issues such as litter and fly-tipping; potholes; street lighting; damaged or missing signage; worn road markings etc in and around Mere can all be reported to Wiltshire Council by members of the public by means of the MyWilts reporting app https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/report-online This usually leads to issues and problems being attended to more quickly.
| MERE TOWN COUNCIL |
| NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETING |
Notice is hereby given that the above meeting will be held in
DUCHY MANOR, SPRINGFIELD ROAD, MERE
on
Wednesday, 22nd April 2026 at 6.30 p.m.
AGENDA
Networking and involvement
At 7.30 pm – Questions and answer session. If you cannot attend the meeting, there is a suggestion/proposal form on our website: https://merewilts.org/notices/suggestion-proposal-form/
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.
I hope that you have picked up this edition in time to see the Christmas Tree light up in the Square and the parents and youngsters lining up to see Santa in the Clock Tower, compliments of Mere Carnival. I know that, these days, with the comings and goings throughout the day of shoppers, deliveries and passers by the Square can be somewhat fraught but it deserves our best efforts to keep it calm and polite. The Museum has pictures of The Square over the years and they too are often busy but in other ways. The Square was the scene, on the 12th November, of an act of Remembrance and at a well-attended ceremony, poppies were presented by representatives of many groups.
I was at the AGM of the Friends of Mere Museum and it was pleasing to hear about the funds raised and to see the latest exhibition, featuring an informative display about six families of Mere. Well worth a visit. I was able to attend the AGM of Seeds4Success, my apologies for being late, where we were presented with the many accomplishments of young people in the area, ably assisted by the staff and trustees – my congratulations to them all.
An agreement has been signed between econetiQ, Wiltshire Council and Mere Town Council to fund and install a cutting-edge 120kW DC Fast Maxicharger in the Salisbury Street Car Park. It is envisaged that this Electric Vehicle charger will get used by the community and will also be another facility for people to use when they are travelling along the A303 and looking for somewhere to stop off and charge their vehicle. Hopefully, they will use other facilities in the town as well and help to boost the local economy. It is expected that this ambitious initiative will come to life in early 2024, pending completion of work between econetiQ and the distribution network operators (DNO)
The Town Council meeting in November dealt with many of the regular matters but spent some time looking at setting priorities for the future. Some of these will be funded by section 106 money received as a result of housing developments in the town but others will be funded through our precept, paid by residents of the town. It is important that we get this right and make the best use of this funding. Later in the month a group of councillors will look in detail at the spending and income forecast for the coming year and come up with a recommended precept. This is a considerable task with over 400 budget headings and a report compiled by our clerk consisting of over 19 pages of information. The meeting is managed by our Vice-Chair who prepares for it well in advance. Separate groups of councillors have also met to look at the future of Mere Chamber of Trade and to look at the use of Town Council land for leisure activities and how to make it the best provision that we can afford. I detail all of this to try and encourage you to put your name forward at the next election due to be held in May 2025. It is important work, and like all important work, worth doing. In the meantime – do come along to a council meeting to see local democracy in action and, in the public session, put your point of view.
John Jordan
Chairman, Mere Town Council
Mere Town Council is attending meetings and actively developing a strategy to prepare its formal response to the public consultation regarding Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s proposal to close Mere Fire Station.
We urge residents not to rush into responding to the consultation. Please take time to carefully review all the available information and scrutinise the data before forming your views. The relevant reports can be accessed on the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service website here:
https://www.dwfire.org.uk/fire-rescue-authority/meetings/fire-rescue-authority/
We are committed to involving the community throughout this process. The Town Council will be holding public meetings and preparing guidance to help inform and advise residents on how best to respond. There will also be public engagement sessions hosted by the Fire Service, and we will share further details of these, along with information on how you can support and get involved.
This is an important matter for our community, and we are determined to ensure that local voices are clearly heard. Further updates will be provided in due course.
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 4th 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.
FIREFIGHTERS NEEDED IN YOUR COMMUNITY
If you live or work in Mere or the surrounding area, have you thought about being an on-call firefighter?
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is currently recruiting for the fire station in White Road, and the recruitment team will be out and about in the local area during the w/c 13 June – so look out for them!
There are also plans for a ‘Have a Go’ event at the fire station, and details will be on their Facebook page once confirmed – www.facebook.com/DWFRSMereFireStation
When the pager goes off, an on-call firefighter can be called to a wide range of incidents, such as fires, road traffic collisions, rescues from height or water, animal rescue or flooding.
In addition, Mere is a co-responder station, where firefighters can opt to support the ambulance service by attending medical emergencies ahead of a paramedic arriving.
If you want to support your community, learn new skills and earn additional income, get in touch! Look out for the team next week, visit www.dwfire.org.uk/on-call-firefighters, email oncallsupportofficers@dwfire.org.uk or leave a message on the 24-hour recruitment line, 01722 691444.