Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Simon Gibson, Stella Jones, Mary Penfold.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 27 September 2023.

The minutes of the last meeting held on 27 September 2024 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 Joshua.kennedy@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk by 08:00am on Friday 26 January 2024.

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 Principal Transport Planner.

The Principal Transport Planner delivered an update on the Fairfield Road works aided with a visual presentation. It was explained that phase 1 of the project was currently underway and photographs of the current progress was shown to the panel. It was estimated that phase 1 of the project would be completed within the coming weeks.

The Principal Transport Planner outlined phase 2 of the project, which involved environmental improvements to the area to make it more aesthetically pleasing, this included tree planting, the construction of rain gardens and paving. Images of potential materials were shown to members, as well as examples of similar projects. It was explained that funding for phase 1 had been secured, however further funding for phase 2 would need to be secured, with contributions from both councils.

Members were in agreement that the completion of phase 2 of the project would provide a positive improvement to the area in terms of making it a more attractive space.

Proposed by Cllr Hewitt and seconded by Cllr Kent-Ledger.

Decision: That the panel request that officers explore potential funding options for the panel to contribute to the environmental improvement works.

To receive a report from the Senior Accountant.

The Senior Accountant presented the budget figures to the panel. There was a minor overspend on the expenditure budget, due to higher than expected utilities costs and there was forecasted to be a deficit in incoming revenue from the Market Operator budget based on the latest figures received. Other sources of income were expected to come in on budget. The Senior Accountant also gave details on other budgetary figures including, the car boot fund and reserve fund.

Proposed by Cllr Kent-Ledger and seconded by Cllr Tarr.

Decision: That the Panel note the current projected outturn position for 2023/24 and approve the 2024/25 budget proposals.

To consider a report from the DTC Town Clerk.

The Dorchester Town Clerk presented an update on the Sunday Market proposal, noting that dates had been arranged for markets to take place on Sundays in 2024 and the location of the markets within Dorchester.

In response to questions from members the Town Clerk responded that he would look into the location of the markets given the panels opinion that they shouldn’t be held in Brewery Square, as discussed at another meeting.

The panel noted the update.

To receive a verbal update from the Dorchester Town Council Clerk.

The Dorchester Town Clerk delivered an update to the panel on the distribution of the car boot funds, following the meeting of the Car Boot Grant Panel. 14 organisations had been funded with £14,000 being allocated between them.

To consider a report from the Dorchester Market operator.

The Market Operator presented their report to the panel and explained that the most recent trading period had not been easy and income was lower than expected, in part due to bad weather.

In response to a question from one member the Market Operator agreed to look into whether the covered barn area was being used as a storage area during the week and address the issue if so, as concerns were raised over safety issues.

To consider a report from the Head of Community & Public Protection.

The Head of Community and Public Protection presented the report on the future operation of Fairfield Market. It was explained that the current lease was coming to an end in March 2026 and a new market operator will be needed. The options available to the panel were to start a procurement process to seek a new operator or Dorchester Town Council had expressed an interest in operating the market. The report outlined the options available and the benefits of each option.

Proposed by Cllr Ireland and seconded by Cllr Hewitt.

Decision: That the panel request that officers propose a recommended route for the procurement or appointment of a new market operator to the next scheduled meeting of the Dorchester Markets Informal Joint Panel.

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 is no scheduled exempt business.

There was no exempt business.