With entries up, exhibitors up, over 30 new entries and many offers of help, Bridgwater Flower Show has survived a difficult year which saw the sad loss of key supporters and now hard working secretary Jackie Sealey says that ‘Next Year is assured’.
Showing their wares to the public for the past 2 days in Bridgwater Town Hall, the Flower Show also includes photography, art, vegetables, wine and other exhibits alongside the floral entries.
As Mayor of Bridgwater Dave Loveridge handed out a table full of glittering prizes, Deputy mayor and Westover Councillor Steve Austen said “It’s a very high standard this year. In fact I’m astounded by the level of competition”. Continue reading “Bridgwater Flower Show”
As widely predicted, Somerset County Council has rejected the application for town green status for the Brewery Field. This was the position as recommended by the inspector who looked at the case at a hearing in Bridgwater earlier this year.
Bridgwater Labour councillor Ian Tucker, who attended the meeting, said, “The application was basically rejected on a technicality due to an order by SDC in the 90’s to prevent dog fouling.”
Bye law technicality unticks campaigners boxes
Westover resident, Tricia Walsh, one of the two applicants and Bridgwater Forward member summed up the meeting, “As you will see from the notice sent today at 4.15pm the application to register the Brewery Field as a town green was rejected. It was a byelaw about dog fouling, simultaneously applied to several green spaces in Bridgwater, Highbridge & Burnham in 1994 that was considered as the only absolute proof of Sedgemoor’s governance of the Brewery Field and thereby allowing the public to use it ‘by right’ i.e. with implied permission rather than ‘as of right’. The end the verdict was a very close run affair. The Inspector’s work was thoroughly carried out with further applicant’s maps accepted as proof of the Brewery Field’s ‘Northgate and Docks neighborhood being within the locality of the Town of Bridgwater whose boundaries have remained constant for the qualifying 20 year period. This has been a long, complex and exacting task and the result, though not a complete success, is still a good one, the best we could get with four out of the five criteria accepted. All those who filled in evidence questionnaires will have a copy of the notice and an explanation of this outcome as well as our thanks” Continue reading “Town Green Bid for Brewery Field Rejected by County”
Post Office Ltd today confirmed it is to proceed with the move of Bridgwater Post Office from its current temporary location to new permanent premises at 27 Eastover. Bridgwater, TA6 5AW.
The new Bridgwater Post Office will have five serving positions, which will be a mixture of two screened and two open plan counters, offering the full range of Post Office products and services, and a Post Office serving point for use at the retail counter. The Post Office serving point is a new concept for delivering selected Post Office products and services alongside retail transactions. Continue reading “Eastover Location and Longer Hours for Bridgwater Post Office Confirmed”
A 19 year old from Bridgwater is determined to increase support for young offenders after her best friend was jailed. Westover Councillors Brian Smedley and Kathy Pearce attended her recent launch event at the YMCA to find out more about the project and see what they could do to help.
Lorna Rosthorn is convinced the system is set up to fail young people, who ultimately re-offend once released. Working with Fixers, the national movement of young people ‘fixing the future,’ she held an event, premiering a spoken word film aimed at highlighting the support needs of young offenders. Lorna’s best friend is currently behind bars but has refused an early release as he fears the environment he will come out to will cause him to re-offend. Continue reading “Breaking the chain of young offenders”
Westover campaigners Andrew Holcombe, Tony Hayward and Martin Grixoni
Todays meeting of Sedgemoor District Councils Community Scrutiny committee gave 100% backing to Westover residents who have campaigned for almost a year for the County Council to implement a residents parking scheme.
The committee chairman Cllr Julian Taylor (Labour, Eastover) summed up, “The 80% requirement for a scheme is too high and we agree a 51% majority in favour should trigger the imposition of a parking scheme in a given area. We also believe that anyone who doesn’t bother to vote should not be included in the % – previously abstentions were counted as no votes. We note the tardiness of Somerset County Councils response in dealing with this. We recognise the impact of planning policies which encouraged increased residential occupancy in town centres but without the required parking spaces and recomend that this should be addressed by the Local Development Framework working party with especial reference to Homes in Multiple occupancy, we accept that the District Council’s own policy of making it’s own staff park elsewhere has contributed to the parking congestion and recomend that this be reviewed in favour of ‘essential users’. We are further concerned that any parking scheme should take into account short-term visiting parking such as carers.” The committee voted unanimously to support. Continue reading “Sedgemoor Scrutiny Committee Backs Westover Residents Parking Campaign”
