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Annual Meeting of Mere Town Council – Monday 12th May 2025

Mere Town Council

Town Clerk – Mrs. L. C. Wood

Duchy Manor,

Springfield Road,

Mere

Warminster,

Wiltshire

BA12 6EW

Phone: 01747 860701

 

e-mail: lindseywood@merewilts.org

www.merewilts.org

7th May 2025

Dear Councillor,

You are summoned to the ANNUAL MEETING OF MERE TOWN COUNCIL to be held on Monday, 12TH May 2025 at 7.00 pm at Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere, Wiltshire.  BA12 6EW.  The meeting will consider the items set out below.

Before the meeting there will be a public session to enable the people of Mere to ask questions of, and make comments, regarding the Town Council.  Questions not answered at this meeting will be answered in writing to the person asking the question, or may appear as an agenda item for the next meeting.  Members of the public are asked to restrict their comments, and/or questions to three minutes.

Please Note: By entering the meeting room you are consenting to the use of your name being recorded in the Minutes.  The meeting may also be recorded by the press or members of the public.  Any person or organisation choosing to film, record or broadcast any meeting of the Council or its committees is responsible for any claims or other liability resulting from them so doing and by choosing to film, record or broadcast proceedings they accept that they are required to indemnify the Council, its members and officers in relation to any such claims or liabilities.

Any person who may find difficulty in access to the meeting through disability is asked to advise the Clerk by email (lindseywood@merewilts.org) at least 24 hours before the meeting so that every effort may be made to provide access.

Yours sincerely,

Lindsey Wood,

Town Clerk & RFO

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SESSION

Members of the public are invited to address the Council on any issue over which it has a power. This session will be limited to 15 minutes (3 minutes per speaker).The Chairman will convene the Town Council meeting after the public session (please note that once the meeting has been convened members of the public are no longer permitted to speak unless invited to do so by the Chairman).

REPORTS FROM LOCAL POLICE REPRESENTATIVES

AGENDA

  1. TO RECEIVE DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE FORMS FROM ELECTED COUNCILLORS
  2. TO ELECT THE CHAIR OF THE TOWN COUNCIL FOR 2025/26 AND TO RECEIVE THE CHAIR’S DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE

 

  1. VOTE OF THANKS TO OUTGOING CHAIR

 

  1. TO ELECT VICE-CHAIR OF THE TOWN COUNCIL FOR 2025/26 AND TO RECEIVE THE VICE-CHAIR’S DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE

 

  1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Schedule 12 of the Local Government Act 1972 requires a record to be kept of the members present and that this record form part of the minutes of the meeting.  Members who cannot attend a meeting should tender apologies to the Town Clerk.

 

  1. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
  • To receive Declarations of Interest relating to matters contained in this agenda, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 in respect of officers and the Localism Act 2011 in respect of members.
  • To receive written requests for new DPI dispensations.

Members are invited to declare disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests in items on the agenda as required by the Mere Town Council Code of Conduct for Members and by the Localism Act 2011.  The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.  If you become aware, during the course of a meeting, of an interest that has not been disclosed under this item, you must immediately disclose it.  Whether you can remain in the meeting and the extent to which you can participate depends on the type of interest you have.

 

  1. MINUTES – To approve as a correct record, the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on Monday, 7th April 2025 ( attached)

 

  1. STANDING ORDERS – To approve and adopt the Standing Orders for Mere Town Council (attached)

 

  1. FINANCIAL REGULATIONS – To approve and adopt the Financial Regulations for Mere Town Council (attached)

 

  1. INTERNAL AUDITOR – To appoint an Internal Auditor

 

  1. COMMITTEE STRUCTURES – To review Committee Structures and appointment of any committees in accordance with standing order 4 and, if appointing committees, to consider Terms of Reference and membership.

 

  1. WORKING GROUPS – To appoint members, including Convenors, to serve on Working Groups as required.

 

  1. STAFFING PANEL – To appoint members, including the Chairman to serve on the Staffing Panel

 

  1. APPEALS COMMITTEE – To appoint members, including the Chairman, to serve on the Appeals Committee

 

  1. APPOINTMENT TO OUTSIDE BODIES – To appoint representatives on the under mentioned bodies as required:

 

Review of representation on or work with external bodies and arrangements for reporting back;

Organisation 2024/25 Representative 2025/26 Representative
Youth Club, Seeds4Success, CAYPIG (Community Area Young People) Cllrs. S. Catley, A Colman & G. Ings.
Cricket Club Cllr. G. Ings
Health & Community Care Cllr. R. Hill
Tennis Club Cllr. G. Jeans
Football Club Cllr. S. Catley
Public Transport Cllr. John Jordan
Mere & District Linkscheme Mrs. Adrienne Howell
Museum Committee Cllrs. G. Jeans & Mrs. K. Symonds
Footpaths & Rights of Way Cllr. Jordan & Cllr. Stone
Chamber of Trade Chairman & Cllr. Hazzard
Friends of Mere Museum Cllr. J. Jordan
School Governor Cllr. Ings & Cllr. S. Catley
Mere Bowling Club Cllr. G. Ings
Carnival Committee Cllr. J. Jordan
Area Board & CATG Chairman & Vice-Chairman
Mere Film Shows Mrs. Rosie Jordan-Barr
Rivers Group Cllrs. R, Cowand & Cllr. Debbie Beale
Trustees of Mere Forest Charity Cllr. Rodney Coward, Clive Hazzard, George Jeans, Ann Rich & Andrew Rees.

 

  1. ASSET REGISTER – To review the Town Council asset register for 2025/26 (attached)& Asset Management Policy (attached)

 

*17. INSURANCE POLICY – To review the Council’s Insurance Policy and discuss/decide on alterations. (see Clerks Report)

 

  1. BANKING AND FINANCIAL POLICIES
  2. To review the Council’s banking and signatory arrangements including Draft Business Debit Card Policy (attached)
  3. *To approve the schedule for Standing Orders and Direct Debits (in Clerks Report)
  4. *To approve membership and subscriptions for the council year (in Clerks Report)

 

  1. POLICIES

To review and decide on amendments to Council policies:

  1. Scheme of Delegation (attached)
  2. Draft Safeguarding Policy (attached)
  3. Investment Policy (pending review)
  4. Reserves Policy (pending review)
  5. Governance & Management Risk Register (pending review)

 

  1. MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL

To fix the dates and times of ordinary meetings of the Council and Committees (if any) for the ensuing year.

 

 

  1. 21. Matters Arising from Public Session

 

  1. Matters Arising from previous Meetings (not covered by other agenda items)

*a) Request for the use of a part of Salisbury Street Car Park for Charles Coles Family Funfairs to have a small funfair for the Mere Carnival event on 13.9.25  – Mr. Tim Thorn representing Charles Coles Family Funfairs will be attending the meeting to answer questions and provide more details to clarify points raised at the last meeting.

 

  1. Reports & Consultations
  2. a) Wiltshire Councillors Report

 

  1. Planning
  2. a) Applications for consultation response:

 

Application No: PL/2025/02086 – Re-consultation with additional information (please see Clerks Report)
Application Type: Full planning permission
Proposal: Self build bungalow
Site Address: The Acorns, Barrow Street, Mere, Warminster, BA12 6AB
Planning Register Link:

 

 

 https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0iQ300000D93Yf

 

 

 

Application No: PL/2025/02106
Application Type: Full planning permission
Proposal: Erection of two storey dwelling to replace existing bungalow
Site Address: The Lodge, Gillingham Road, Mere, Warminster, BA12 6LH
Planning Register Link: https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0iQ300000D9jo1

 

Application No: PL/2025/03735
Application Type: Full planning permission
Proposal: Demolition of all existing buildings.
Site Address: Beaumont Business Centre, Woodlands Road, Mere, Warminster, BA12 6BT
Planning Register Link: https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0iQ300000DhJ7x

 

 

Application No: PL/2025/03944
Application Type: Full planning permission
Proposal: Single storey cattery enclosure
Site Address: Ashwell Nursery, Burton, Mere, Warminster, BA12 6BR
Planning Register Link: https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0iQ300000DsQkP

 

 

  1. 25. Highways, Rivers, Footpaths, Traffic & Transport
  2. a) To identify jobs for the Parish Steward, Sparkle Team and MyWiltshire reports.
  3. b) Wiltshire Council – Highways Capital Programme 2025/26 – the Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Schene and Flooding has approved the funding allocations and scheme lists for 2025/26. For further information please see page on Wiltshire Council’s website: https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?id=2135&LLL=0

 

  1. Buildings, Open Spaces, Play Areas, Sports Grounds, Car Parks, Allotments & Cemeteries

 

  1. Finance, Policy & Resources

*a)  Payments – To review and authorise schedule of payments (attached)

  1. b) To note the bank reconciliations for March 2024; the Chairman to sign and verify against the bank statements seen
  2. c) The Heritage Revival Fund has been created to help communities across England rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings.

 

  1. General Items

 

  1. Future meetings and events

 

  1. Future agenda items

 

Note:  Members are reminded that the Town Council has a general duty to consider the following matters in the exercise of any of its functions: Equal Opportunities (race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status and any disability), Crime and Disorder, Health and Safety and Human Rights.

 

*Further information on these items enclosed/attached