Below you'll find the Tiverton Town Council Annual Report for 2007. Click Here for the Annual Report from 2006.
The Mayor from May 2006 until May 2007 was Councillor Wallace Burke, with his deputy being Councillor Kevin Wilson .
Councillor Kevin Wilson became Mayor in May 2007, with his deputy being Councillor Elaine Trump.
Details of meeting dates and the resolved minutes of Full Council, Planning and the Finance & General Purposes Committee can also be found on this website.
Tiverton Town Council is designated as a 'Quality Council'.
Mayor's Report
In reflecting on the Council's past year it is very evident that it has been a very busy one, with a number of significant achievements.
One of our greatest achievements was the gaining of Quality Status just before Christmas. Whilst the Government's White paper was not that specific, it seems highly likely that Quality Councils will have more power in the future, including the power of well being, which at present is restricted to District Councils. No doubt we will learn more as the year progresses. My congratulations to the Town Clerk and his staff and the Councillors for achieving this award.
The Council moved home during February from the New Hall to the Town Hall. A great deal of money has been spent by the District Council on refurbishing this wonderful building and making it Disability Discrimination compliant. They say that things go around in a circle, and here we are back as we were prior to 1974 in our rightful home.
Sadly, we have lost one allotment site, that of Little Silver, although we managed to find new plots for all those who wanted one. Our next challenge will be to find another site. There does seem to be steady demand for allotments, possibly caused by the number of television programmes on this subject, or the fact that gardens in new properties seem to be getting smaller and smaller. At Tomswell we now have our own toilet, and in the future we will be looking at the possibility of providing this facility at other sites. We will continue to look for other allotment sites to meet the growing demand.
The New Hall continues to have its facilities improved, the latest being the installation of air conditioning. We were pleased to provide the facilities of the New Hall for a Police training day for new recruits and for a meeting of an ethnic minorities group.
In an effort to involve the businesses of the town we held a joint meeting with the Chamber of Commerce to discuss the Town Enhancement Scheme. I hope that we will work more in partnership with the businesses of the town in the future.
We had a super carnival last November and plans are well in hand for this year's event.
The Christmas Lights provided a brilliant display. We moved away from our own lights, which whilst serving us well for many years, were coming to the end of their life. We now rent the lights, which provides the opportunity of having different themes each year if we wish.
I hope that you will all agree that our hanging basket display last summer was fantastic. We had a new supplier, Taunton Deane, who consulted with us about how to get the best out of our display. The outcome of this was a silver award from Britain in Bloom. Due to the financial problems with the district council we have entered into a partnership agreement with them to ensure that our displays are even better this year; and look forward to hopefully getting an even better recognition from the Britain in Bloom judges.
Our partnership with the district council is of course nothing new, for we contribute to the Town Centre CCTV system and help to keep two public conveniences open. I expect that more partnerships will be forthcoming in the future.
Wallace Burke
Mayor of Tiverton
2006/2007
Town Clerk 's Report
In December we were informed that our submission for Quality Status had been accepted, therefore we become only the second council in Mid Devon to be awarded this status. Whilst it is early days for the scheme we hope that having this status will provide us with more recognition and additional powers in the future. Certainly in some other areas of the county the district councils are having meetings with their quality councils with a view to working more closely together. Whatever the outcome I think that there will be advantages for Tiverton in the future.
In February the council offices moved to the Town Hall. At the same time we took the opportunity of extending our opening hours, and we are now open from 9am until 4pm Monday to Friday. The Town Hall has far better access than our previous office at the New Hall and already we are seeing more visitors than we did previously.
Air conditioning has been installed at the New Hall so when you next visit for a show it should be a far more comfortable experience, especially during the summer months.
Whilst this report covers the period only up until the end of March 2007 it would be remiss of me not to mention all the Councillors who decided not to stand for re-election at the recent election. In all we have no less than 13 new councillors serving the town, and I wish them well for the future.
The Council has remained very active during the year with a number of projects on the go. As I write this article we are only days away from the arrival of the hanging baskets, supplied for the second year by Taunton Deane Borough Council. If last years display was anything to go by we are in for another floral treat this year. Our thanks as usual go to the Tiverton in Bloom committee and Mid Devon District Council for their support and hard work.
The Carnival last year was superb and I trust that you found the Christmas lights were fantastic. We put our own lights away and decided to hire lights. Nearly everyone thought it was fantastic.
John Vanderwolfe
Town Clerk
Annual Accounts 1st April 2006 to 31st March 2007
 |
|
| Income (£) |
Expenditure (£) |
| Allotment Receipts |
953 |
Administration |
66573 |
| Bank Interest |
5416 |
Allotments |
9165 |
| Cemetery Grant (MDDDC) |
180 |
Carnival /Christmas Lights |
18103 |
| Carnival /Christmas Lights |
2580 |
Civic Events |
6993 |
Rural Communities
Commission |
616 |
Grants |
29355 |
| Holding Account |
6000 |
Misc |
175 |
| Insurance Claim/Refund |
625 |
New Hall |
57049 |
| New Hall Receipts |
17459 |
Public Right's of Way |
1027 |
| Devon County Council P3 |
1130 |
Public Works Board Loan |
9670 |
| Performing Rights |
734 |
Tiverton in Bloom |
7380 |
| Precept |
190929 |
Town Hall |
4663 |
| Tiverton in Bloom receipts |
4083 |
Westexe Toilets |
1100 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
230705 |
|
211253 |
|
|
| |
|
Profit (Loss) |
19452 |
|
|
Click Here for a more detailed report regarding the accounts of the Council.
The accounts received an unqualified audit from the Internal Auditor and will be audited by the External Auditor during June 2007.
List of Grants paid out to local organisations 2006/07
To receive a grant an organisation is required to submit an application on the Council's application form giving details of the specific purpose that the grant would be used for. A copy of the most recent audited accounts of the organisation must be provided with the application.
Grants can only be provided to local 'not for profit' organisations.
The Council examines each grant application on its individual merit and makes a decision on the facts provided by the organisation, therefore it is very important that you provide as much information as possible.
It is the responsibility of the organisation to obtain the application form as forms are no longer sent out automatically to organisations who have previously been awarded a grant. Forms will be available from 1st July and must be returned by the 1st October.
Grant forms can be obtained from the Council Office, Tiverton Town Council, Town Hall, St Andrew Street , Tiverton Devon EX16 6PG.
The total grants payments, including payments made under partnership agreements with Mid Devon District Council was £29,355.
Commitee Reports
Allotments
The Little Silver Allotment Gardens were vacated on time and all tenants who had requested a new plot were allocated one. In general terms the transition from one site to another was made without any problems.
Allotments continue to be very popular with a waiting list for every site. A number of improvements were undertaken during the year including the provision of a toilet at the Tomswell site.
Sadly there were a number of thefts from sheds during the year with reminders being sent out to tenants warning them not to leave valuables in their sheds.
To be eligible for an allotment you must live in Tiverton and of course be willing to cultivate and keep the garden tidy throughout the year.
Emergency Committee
Whilst the principle authorities are responsible for dealing with civil emergencies Tiverton Town Council has designed its own emergency plan for the use of the New Hall as an emergency settlement centre in case of a civic emergency.
Planning
The Planning Committee remains the busiest committee on the Council, meeting normally on a fortnightly basis to make comments on the many planning applications for Tiverton. Details of the recommendations made to either Mid Devon District Council or Devon County Council can be found here.
Civic & Ceremonial
This committee is responsible for the many civic occasions held in the town. These include the Mayor's Banquet, Mayor's Sunday Church Service and Parade and the Proclamation of the Fair, which takes place on two occasions during the year.
Carnival & Christmas Lights
This is a very hard working small committee who organise the annual carnival and are responsible for the Christmas lights. A decision was made last year to replace the Council's own lights, which had become rather tired, with hired lights. One of the advantages of having hired lights is the fact that you can have a different display each year. We are always looking for volunteers to help with the carnival and the fund raising events held throughout the year, so please contact us if you are interested.
Tiverton in Bloom
The committee co-ordinates the hiring of hanging baskets which adorn the town during the summer months. Last year the committee decided to change the supplier and used Taunton Deane District Council. The feedback was so good that a decision has been made to once again use Taunton Deane this coming year.
The committee also organise the Tiverton in Bloom competition and ensure that our entry into the Britain in Bloom competition is of the highest standard ready for judging. Last year Tiverton won a Silver award.
Telephone Contact Numbers
Town Council Offices -open from 9am until 4pm Monday to Friday.
Tel: 01884 253404
Fax: 01884 258550
E-mail: townclerk@tiverton-town-council.org
Mid Devon District Council - 01884 255255
Devon County Council General Enquiries -
0845 155 1015
Roads and Transport -
0845 155 1004
Care Direct -
0845 155 1007
Disability Information -
0845 155 1005
Consumer Direct -
0845 155 0506
Schools and Education -
0845 155 1019
Libraries -
0845 155 1001
Children and Families -
0845 155 1013
Registration - Marriages - 01884 252821
- Births & Deaths - 01884 252913
Citizen’s Advice - 01884 234926
