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Newsletter
15 Sept 2006
Exmouth Town Council – Newsletter
Exmouth Looking for Solutions
not Problems
Nothing
ever happens in Exmouth. Investment always passes the
town by. We need more jobs. There is not enough housing
at reasonable prices for local people. We need a supermarket.
We do not need a supermarket. There is not enough car
parking. The A396 needs improving. We don’t want
more cars in the town. We want a bowling alley. Who
needs a bowling alley. There are too many pubs. There
is not enough for young people to do. Exmouth is scruffy.
Exmouth is beautiful, well done for keeping it so nicely.
The shops are poor. The shops are wonderful. Yes we
hear all these comments at the Town Hall.
Exmouth
made a case recently to the Committee of the Deputy
Prime Minister set up to look at the plight of Coastal
Towns. Ours was the first Coastal town in the country
to be visited by the Committee and the only one in Devon.
What they found was a town which finds it difficult
to give a clear view of what it wants to be in the future.
The above comments perhaps reflect that dichotomy of
views amongst people in Exmouth. Despite what some
people think, Exmouth is not a town of elderly people.
The largest population is in the mid age range and there
are a lot of young people in our town too. The range
of age groups is wide and the needs arising from all
are diverse.
The
older population is clearly the most vocal and many
are able to articulate their views well and forcefully.
The younger families living on the large estates beyond
the ‘Old Town’ tend to be less connected
with what is happening in Exmouth and are often too
busy just living their lives to become involved with
the discussions which are ongoing. It is clear that
the supermarket discussion is not as straight forward
as it has been made out to be. The abhorrence expressed
about Adsa is not universal. There are many families,
less vocal than the ‘Protesters’ who would
welcome the value clothing, food and competition that
such a store would provide. However Asda is not the
only player in the market and it is important that all
are given an opportunity to work up their plans so that
the best solution can be found with the greatest community
gain. The debate will rage about the sustainability
of supermarkets long term but for now that is how most
of us do our shopping and the town would be foolish
to allow the Tesco domination to continue without a
counterweight to keep it sharp and to provide wider
choice for our residents and many visitors.
Your
elected Councillors at Town, District and County level
are the people who have to make sense of all these diverse
views. It is their job to sift all the information from
potential developers, from residents and others and
turn it into decisions which will be to the benefit
of the town, its people and the wider area. They have
to take into account the views of pressure groups and
community groups. They must also be aware of the ‘big
picture’ and recognize when comment reflects self
interest and the ‘NIMBY’ approach.
Progress
has been made in the last few years with improving the
town. This needs to be maintained and if ever we needed
unity within the town to help us help the ‘Developers’
to find the best solution possible then now is the time.
One
message which needs to be understood by all of us is
that we can write plans for Exmouth till the cows come
home but without funding they will never be achieved.
That funding will either come from the private sector,
grant sources or by translating the value of Council
land into public gain. The funding for big schemes will
not come from Local Authorities directly. Where Local
Authorities own land then it is possible to use that
to provide funding through agreement or sale. All those
‘Experts’ in the community will waste their
time and that of others unless they keep the ‘Funding’
question at the top of their agenda. ‘Lets get
real and then some of the dreams may be achieved’.
Another message is ‘Work with the officers at
Town, District and County’. Work through the constraints
with them and try to understand what these are. Either
work with them to remove the constraints or accept that
some cannot be removed and tailor plans accordingly.
Above all respect that the officers too are trying to
help and are part of the solution and not the problem.
Elizabeth
Hall
The Town Council meeting recently allowed local man
Bernard Greenaway to make a presentation on the Elizabeth
Hall. His concern was that this resource to the community
which has been so useful in the past to local organizations
for fund raising is to be sold off without a suitable
community replacement. The District Council wants to
use the funds from the Elizabeth Hall site to create
a café and information point at the end of Queens
Drive worthy of the start/end of Britain’s only
Natural World Heritage Site. Whilst this is a laudable
solution to this particular problem it does leave problem
for local fundraising unsolved. Where else in the town
can you get such a throughput of locals and visitors?
The Town Council understands this problem all too well.
Bernard and representatives of other fundraising organizations
will be meeting with the District Council to discuss
possible solutions. It could mean that the Town Council
will have to find funding for a solution. At the Council
meeting there was an acquiescence, if not a huge burst
of enthusiasm, from the public and the Councillors that
this may mean raising the Town Council Precept to find
a creative solution. Is the strength of feeling about
the future of the Elizabeth Hall strong enough to be
translated into a willingness to pay through Council
Tax for a creative solution? We would be interested
to know your views on this. For example would you be
prepared to pay another say £2, £5 or £10
per year per Council Tax Payer on the Council Tax towards
making sure that a suitable community facility is available
in the town for use at reasonable cost by local organizations?
Email me at townclerk@exmouth.gov.uk; write to me at
the Town Hall or write to the Local Paper with your
views. Anyone can sign a petition but are you also prepared
to ‘Put your money where your mouth is’?
John
Furze (our ex. Town Manager) is enjoying the challenge
as Town Clerk of Chard. He is grateful to Exmouth for
the experience he gained here and is transferring good
practice, which he learned here, to Chard.
Val
Shaw has joined our team for 15 hours per week to support
my role as Town Clerk in managing the office and members’
services. Val will be a real support to our team of
part timers who work hard for the Town.
Exmouth
Festival
After an excellent festival in 2006 with a well supported
season of Sundays, with a peak audience of over 1,500
for the Royal Marines Band Concert in the Manor Gardens,
the Festival will continue as strongly as ever. Plans
are underway for 2007. Contact Nicky Nichols the Festival
Organiser for involvement in the Festival 2007.
Christmas
Carols by Candlelight and the Great Big Christmas Sing
A date for your diary - 11th December at 6.30pm join
us for Christmas Carols by Candlelight from the Performance
Stage in the Manor Gardens followed by the Great Big
Christmas Sing at the Pavilion.
For more information – contact the Town Clerk
on 01395 276167, visit the Town Hall, contact your Local
Councillor or visit www.exmouth.gov.uk
Any
comments or views expressed in this newsletter are not
necessarily those of Exmouth Town Council. The newsletter
is written by the Town Clerk.
Newsletter
14 May 2006
Information
Point
If you cannot get access to a computer and need to,
then visit the Town Hall where you can use the Public
Information Point in the Town Hall reception. This will
give you access to a whole range of information relevant
to Exmouth and the public services you may wish to access.
Our reception staff are on hand to help you if required.
The
Exmouth Festival is drawing near and the programme will
be circulated with the Exmouth Herald to every household.
Click on to www.exmouthfestival.org.uk to see the full
Festival Programme including the Season of Sundays in
the Manor Gardens which will continue through the Summer
Season. There is really something for everyone in this
full programme.
Sand
Sculpture
Included in the festival is the annual Sand Sculpture
competition. This is very popular and gets better with
the more teams taking part. It is great fun and the
creations range from quite small to huge. Have a look
in the Festival Programme to find out how you can be
part of this Exmouth event.
Exmouth Gateway Visitor Centre
The
Big Lottery Fund will be sending a team to Dorset and
Devon to review the ‘Evolution’ funding application.
The application includes four projects based on Portland
Stone, Deep Time in Lyme, Seaton and Exmouth Gateway
Visitor Centre. The schemes are all linked by the World
Heritage Site and are all community led regeneration
projects. It is another positive step towards bringing
these projects to fruition. It will seem that it all
takes a long time but a lot has been achieved to date
and a huge amount of work continues to be done to make
these projects happen.
Exmouth
Regeneration
A rethink of the ‘Supermarket’ proposals is now planned
following the decision of East Devon District Council
not to pursue the proposals on the Estuary Car Parks
area. The Town Council supports the provision of a smaller
supermarket between the sports centre and the Strand.
Like all the proposals this is difficult to achieve
and sought after community benefits are less likely
to be achievable. The holy grail of suitable development
which can produce sufficient public sector gain such
as a new library for the town seems to lie tantalisingly
beyond the grasp of the Town. Further joint meetings
will be held to try and break through this impasse.
The threat of an out of town supermarket being imposed
at some time in the future may or may not be real but
remains a concern for the vitality of the town centre.
Grants
to local organisations
A budget of £15,000 has been set aside for local
groups and organisations to help with projects and schemes
which they may have. This amount applies for the period
from 1st April 2006 to 31st March 2007. Applications
forms are available from the Town Clerk’s office.
Exmouth
Action Group
Exmouth Town Council continues to work strongly with
other organisations on Community Safety through Exmouth
Action Group. Support has been given for the continued
operation of the Exe Patrol Boat to enforce the Exe
Estuary byelaws and keep things safe in the Estuary.
The boat is a unique service manned entirely by police
staff and civilian helms on an entirely voluntary basis.
Contrary to the opinion of some, they give of their
time freely to improve safety on the Estuary. The minimal
costs of running the boat are paid for entirely by contributions
from the organisations with an interest in the Exe.
Exmouth
Town Council has supported renewal of the S30 dispersal
order in the town and a new one in the Brixington area.
This will give the police power to disperse groups of
people before problems arise.
Exe
Estuary Partnership
Exmouth Town Council in now a fully fledged partner
of the Exe Estuary Partnership and has been influential
within negotiations to renew an effective Exe Estuary
Partnership. Recruitment of a new Exe Estuary Officer
will be taking place soon.
Exmouth
Town Management
Town Manager John Furze recently left the employ of
the Town for promotion to the post of Town Clerk of
Chard in Somerset. The Town Council has agreed to review
Town Management with a view to improvements in the service
it provides and a Task and Finish Forum will be reporting
soon on the arrangements for the next 3 years. The post
of Town Manager will be advertised once the Town Council
has agreed on going arrangements.
Royal
Garden Party
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor have been nominated by Devon
Association of Parish Councils to attend a Royal Garden
Party this Summer. It is fitting that in the 10th year
of Exmouth Town Council that the town should be represented
in the 80th Year of the Queen.
The
Mayors Charity Ball
The Mayors Ball was a great success this year with 160
people in attendance. The feedback from many was that
it was a really good evening. Funds were raised for
the Open Door Centre, the Mayor’s selected charity,
and over £500 is expected to be contributed to
the Centre. The date for the next ball has been booked
for 14th April 2007, so reserve the date in your forward
planner if you wish to enjoy a good evening next year
which celebrates the community of Exmouth.
Newsletter
13 January 2006
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Exmouth
Information
For those of you who are using computers on a regular
basis, the Exmouth website is an important source of
local information. If you want to know about doctors
surgeries, dentists, library opening hours, recycling
centre information, travel times, when the next train
departs from Exmouth Station and lots of knowledge about
Exmouth, then this site provides you with all you need.
The Town Council uses the website as its home page with
the Google toolbar at the top. It is amazing how much
information you can access from this one source. Use
www.exmouth.gov.uk for your town information. It is
provided by the Town Council on a non-commercial basis
for the benefit of Exmouth people and visitors to the
town.
Information
Point
A new computer for a public information point has been
delivered, paid for from the Quality Council Grant which
was successfully obtained last year. The software is
being set up and this new service will be available
soon in the Town Hall reception.
Performance
Stage
2006 is upon us and we will be looking to use the Performance
Stage much more than in 2005. We welcome use of the
stage for all kinds of events and performances such
as:-
Music Dance – Drama - Arts and craft displays - School
concerts
Contact Val Holland at the Town Hall to make your booking
or email her on vholland@exmouth.gov.uk
Festival
2006
The Exmouth Festival will kick off the new season from
26th to 29th May with a full programme focused on the
Manor Gardens and the Performance Stage.
Town
Hall Council Chamber Booking
The Town Hall Council Chamber and Committee Rooms are
available for booking by local organisations at a very
reasonable rate. Contact Julie Gregory at the Town Hall
if you wish to make a booking or email her on jgregory@exmouth.gov.uk
Allotments
Allotments at Hamilton Lane and Pound Lane are managed
on behalf of the Town Council by Exmouth and District
Allotments Association. If you are thinking about taking
on an allotment in 2006, then enquiries can be made
in writing to Mrs Jean Vinnicombe, Secretary, Exmouth
and District Allotments Association, Wentworth,
Littlemead Lane, Exmouth, EX8 3BU. Both allotment sites
offer excellent plots which are becoming more popular
as people return to the pleasures of growing fresh produce
for themselves and to share with others.
Exmouth
Gateway Visitor Centre
The
proposal to build a visitor centre continues with a
bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund submitted before Christmas.
This is for the first round of bidding and the results
of this initial bid will be known later in the Spring.
Frequently asked questions and answers have been prepared
and are available from the Town Hall, TIC, Library and
Sports Centre. No final name has been chosen for the
centre yet so Exmouth Gateway Visitor Centre is being
used for the time being.
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Grants
to local organisations
Over the last year grants have been made to various
local organisations from the Town Council’s grants fund,
as follows:-
Open Door Centre £300
Vitalise – Care Breaks for Disabled People £163
Exe Estuary Patrol Boat £250
South West Brass Band Association £300
Centre Stage £1,000
Exmouth Community College – Polar Quest £1,609*
Exmouth Action Group – Road Safety Banners £200
Exmouth Citizens Advice Bureau £2,000
Home Start, Exmouth Town Council £250
Exmouth Beach Rescue Club £500
Exmouth Rowing Club £450
Exmouth Tidy Group £195
Exmouth Carnival £1,500
Rise and Shine Breakfast Club – Littleham £500
Exmouth and District Volunteer Centre £500
*Paid for from previous Mayor’s fund collected for young
people.
Budget
The Budget for 2006/7 for Exmouth Town Council has been
set at £240,962 which will cost Exmouth Council
Tax Payers living in Band D Properties under £19
for the year. Properties in lower band properties will
pay less and those in higher bands more.
Town info
