Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chair for the remainder of the municipal year 2025/26.

Proposed by Cllr Haynes and seconded by Cllr Williams.

Decision: That Cllr Rennie be elected as Chair for the duration of the municipal year 2025/26.

To elect a Vice-chair for the remainder of the municipal year 2025/26.

Proposed by Cllr Bolwell and seconded by Cllr Holland.

Decision: That Cllr Williams be elected as Vice-Chair for the duration of the municipal year 2025/26.

To receive any apologies for absence.

No apologies for absence were received.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2025.

The minutes of the last meeting held on 29 January were confirmed and signed.

To disclose any pecuniary, other registrable or personal interest as set out in the adopted Code of Conduct.  In making their decision councillors are asked to state the agenda item, the nature of the interest and any action they propose to take as part of their declaration.

If required, further advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Representatives of town or parish councils and members of the public who live, work, or represent an organisation within the Dorset Council area are welcome to submit either 1 question or 1 statement for each meeting.  You are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via MS Teams to read out your question and to receive the response.   If you submit a statement for the committee this will be circulated to all members of the committee in advance of the meeting as a supplement to the agenda and appended to the minutes for the formal record but will not be read out at the meeting. The first 8 questions and the first 8 statements received from members of the public or organisations for each meeting will be accepted on a first come first served basis in accordance with the deadline set out below.  Further information read Public Participation - Dorset Council

All submissions must be emailed in full to [email protected] by 08:00am Friday 25 July 2025.

When submitting your question(s) and/or statement(s) please note that:

·       You can submit 1 question or 1 statement.

·       A question may include a short pre-amble to set the context.

·       It must be a single question and any sub-divided questions will not be permitted.

·       Each question will consist of no more than 450 words, and you will be given up to 3 minutes to present your question.

·       When submitting a question please indicate who the question is for (e.g., the name of the committee or Portfolio Holder). 

·       Include your name, address, and contact details.  Only your name will be published but we may need your other details to contact you about your question or statement in advance of the meeting.

·       Questions and statements received in line with the council’s rules for public participation will be published as a supplement to the agenda. 

·       All questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting.   

There were no public questions.

To consider any items of business which the Chairman has had prior notification and considers to be urgent pursuant to section 100B (4) b) of the Local Government Act 1972. The reason for the urgency shall be recorded in the minutes.

There were no urgent items.

To receive a verbal update from the Head of Community and Public Protection on the future operation of Fairfield and Cornhill markets.

The Head of Community and Public Protection delivered a verbal update on the progress of the future operation of Fairfield and Cornhill markets. He noted that legal services at Dorset Council were drafting the agreement between Dorchester Town Council and Dorset Council and that the panel’s sub-group had met to discuss the draft agreement. It was expected that the agreement would be ready for formal approval before April 2026.

It was explained that officers were also looking into amending the panel’s terms of reference, to reduce the size of the panel, in the interest of good governance. It was hoped that these changes would be agreed by the end of the year.

The Head of Community and Public Protection addressed a point raised at the last panel meeting about the liability of the structures on the site of Fairfield Market and a survey had been carried out, which stated that they were all structurally sound and any necessary repairs would be carried out through Dorset Council’s property services team.

The Dorchester Town Council Town Clerk informed panel members that a Markets Officer had been appointed and begin their work in September.

Several members of the panel expressed support for reducing the size of the panel, as they believed that this would allow the panel to have closer control of the markets going forward.

The following responses were provided to members of the panel from officers:

·       Dorset Council would insure the site and buildings, however Dorchester Town Council would be required to have liability insurance for market days.

·       The current restrictions on Dorchester Ward members sitting on the panel as Dorset Council members would likely remain in place to prevent conflicts of interest.

·       The panel reports would go to the Licensing Committee at Dorset Council.

·       Officers would release a statement to traders to keep them informed on the process.

To receive a verbal update from the Fairfield Market operator.

There was no update from the Fairfield market operator.

To receive a verbal update from the Cornhill Market operator.

There was no update from the Cornhill market operator.

To receive a report from the Senior Accountant.

The Senior Accountant delivered a verbal update on the Financial Outturn report for 2024/25. He provided details of the actual outturn figures against the budgeted figures and listed the main areas of variance. He also provided details of the Sunday Car Boot fund and the repairs and maintenance reserve.

In response to a question from one member, it was explained that the Sunday Car Boot fund reserve was high due to there being a strict criteria for distribution of the funds. Officers stated that they would look into publicising the fund more widely, to try and ensure more of the fund was distributed.

The panel approved the income and expenditure statement for 2024/25.

To receive a verbal update from the Principal Transport Planner.

The Principal Transport Planner delivered a verbal update on the Fairfield Road works. He noted that the design team were currently working on the project and that they were seeking specialist advice on the sustainable drainage system before moving forward. It was expected that the detailed design would be ready by the end of the summer, in order for the trees to be planted over winter.

Members raised concerns about lighting and signage in the car park, which the Principal Transport Planner stated would be looked into.

To move the exclusion of the press and the public for the following item in view of the likely disclosure of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph x of schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). The public and the press will be asked to leave the meeting whilst the item of business is considered.

There are no exempt items scheduled for this meeting.

There was no exempt business.