Category: Mayors Blog

This is my second Blog, and quite a lot has gone on since my first. Alcester Town Council (ATC) has become the first Parish in the County to be a “Health and Wellbeing Town”. This development is in line with national policy, and enables Alcester to become a trusted partner with Warwickshire County Council. The aim is to enable individuals to develop support needs they can access ensuring that all Alcester citizens can ensure they are able to live full, active and independent lives.
The Town Council has reorganised its committee structure and introduced new committees as: Community Care Committee chaired by Prof. Cllr Chris Brannigan; Community Facilities Committee chaired by Cllr Jim Kenyon; Communications chaired by Cllr Yvette Morrison, and Strategic Planning chaired by Cllr Mark Cargill. In addition ATC has established a Health and Well Being Board chaired by Cllr Lennox Cumberbatch, which will form a platform for ATC to liaise with important figures in the health and wellbeing community external to ATC. The Health and Well Being Board will have its first meeting in August, whilst the other new committees have held their first two meetings and are defining projects and implementing actions; progress will be reported in later Newsletters. The new committee structure, agendas and minutes of all meetings are on the Council website (http://www.alcester-tc.gov.uk/).
There are also other major Council developments taking place during September to December 2015. The Council has been working with Warwickshire County Council and Stratford District Council to secure the future of Globe House; this has now been achieved. As of 1st January 2-16 Globe House will be redeveloped to become the home of the Library, the Museum, and the Town Council; it will be a true Community Hub. The building work will take place over the period September to December 2015, during that time the Town Council will have to vacate Globe House, with consequential problems. The Council will continue to operate from various locations, and to maintain an interface with residents, we will have a “hot desk” in the Library, manned 10am to 1pm on Thursdays. Council contact details are elsewhere in this Newsletter.
Whilst the Council restructuring is going on developments in the Town have not halted, most people are aware of the re-proposed development in Priory Road by Churchill of 27 Retirement Flats. This re-proposal has been objected to by the Planning Committee of Alcester Town Council (see website for details), and was due to be heard by Stratford District Council West Area Planning Committee at Elizabeth House in Stratford on Tuesday 18th of August, when the Council was to mount a vigorous objection. However, this item on the Agenda for the West Area Planning Committee has now been withdrawn, and so the hearing will not take place. This has not gone away, so keep your eyes on the Council website for future developments.

My first Blog apparently upset some people by seeming to imply that the Greig Trustees would not allow access to the building for ATC to conduct survey work. This was not the case, the Trustees would have permitted access. ATC did not wish to expend any money on surveys until the ownership is decided.
To end on a positive note, the Artisan Markets are proving a success and are set to continue, and the next formal Council activity is the Civic Service to be held at St. Nicholas’ Church at 11.00am on Sunday 6th September 2015, all are welcome.
Professor Cllr Clive Neal-Sturgess, Mayor.

Welcome to my first Mayors Blog of the new Alcester Town Council, I am Professor Cllr Clive Neal-Sturgess and I will be supported by Elle my wife and Consort, together with my lifelong friend and Deputy Mayor Professor Cllr Chris Brannigan with his consort Jennifer.
By way of an introduction, my background is that after 8 years in industry I went to the University of Birmingham to do a PhD, and stayed. I eventually became the Jaguar Professor of Automobile Technology, a post which I held for 23 years; and became Head of Mechanical Engineering at the University. For the last 15 years I was in full time employment ( I am now an Emeritus Professor and part time) I was the Director of the Automotive Safety Centre, where we investigated 7500 real world car crashes, and fed the results on to the National Database.

As I said in the newsletter, all years are important years for a Council, but this year may be very important. The epic of the Greig continues after incredible efforts by many Councillors and the Clerk. As I write this ownership of the site has still not been transferred from the Trustees to SDC.

Until that happens we cannot gain access to the site and determine the condition, with the potential financial circumstances.

Globe House is a saga that has finally been resolved, again after many years of engagement of the Clerk and Councillors, and we can now look forward to a permanent home. The Council will relocate upstairs with the voluntary services, while the ground floor will become the Library and Museum; so Globe House will be a true Community Hub. This will all happen during 2015.

Some two years ago the government introduced the Health and Wellbeing Act, with considerable implications for County, District and Parish Councils nationwide. A small project group is developing a Flagship Project with WCC to devise a sustainable strategy for Alcester. At the Full Council meeting in June we adopted the overall policy direction of becoming a “Health and Well Being Town” for the next four years. This has also involved the adoption of a new committee structure for the Council, which we are currently implementing, and on which I will have more to say in the future.

We have been working on the Neighbourhood Developmental Plan and Our Alcester, including the Innovation Park, for three years now and we still have some way to go. Due to the ongoing changes to SDC Core Strategy and possible further significant increases in housing numbers, over and above what we have already had; the NHDP is unlikely to be adopted before late 2016,

In conclusion, you can see we have a challenging time ahead of us, and we hope to keep Alcester developing in a positive direction. I will be keeping you up to date through the ATC website (http://www.alcester-tc.gov.uk/) and the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Alcester).
Prof Cllr Clive Neal-Sturgess
Mayor of Alcester.

I would like to thank everyone for all their support in the past year, it has been a great honour being mayor of such a great town.

The town council is a wonderful organization to be part of and I wish  councillors new and previous all the best for the next 4 yrs.

Well what lovely spring weather we are all enjoying at the moment long may it last.

I recently attended numerous civic events representing Alcester at both District and County level.

We also held Alcester Town Councils civic dinner this was well attended.

Also this month we held our annual parish meeting but as a change from our usual format we invited representatives from all Town organisations this was a very informative evening, nineteen people spoke we hope this will increase next year.

Yvonne Hine,
Mayor of Alcester

27th Feb 2015

It has been a busy month I held a charity music evening with the Racketts at the Jubilee Centre and raised £450, which I am donation toward inclusive play springy for the Jubilee fields play area. Many thanks to the Racketts for making this evening such a success.

I have represented the town at several functions this month, most notably, the Alcester Community Wassailing event, which was very informative and enjoyable.

Yvonne Hine

Mayor of Alcester

I would like to thank everyone who supported my quiz night both by attending and donations. It was a very good evening and Chas set some really good questions.
The money that we raised £250 pounds, is to be used to improve yet further the Jubilee centre . The centre is proving to be very popular with a variety of groups .

My next charity evening is a night with the Racketts funds raised from this event will be used to help purchase inclusive play equipment .

Thank you the Mayor Yvonne

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I have been busy recently attending many Christmas events in the Town, one in particular I would like to mention was the Alcester Silver Victoria Band concert, it was a wonderful performance and very well attended.
Alcester Town Council’s Award Evening Celebration was also another wonderful event, where I had the opportunity to award the Citizen of the Year Award to Mr Mike Clark, for all his hard work making the town look splendid with the Alcester Bunting and Lighting Executive (or Alcester Christmas Lights). I also awarded the Alcester Silver Victoria Band with the Organisation of the Year Award, they have provided a musical background to so many of the Town’s events and I felt they deserved recognition for all their contributions.
I am off now to attend the St Nicholas Crib Service which is another very well attended service in the town and a time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
All the very best from my family to yours,
Yvonne Hine
Mayor of Alcester

Things are really happening it is the mad run up to Christmas.
I had the great honour of switching on the tree of light that now stands proudly at the top of our High street. It was lovely to see so many people watching the lighting up of our beautiful town.

Mayor’s October blog

October has been an interesting month I have visited the Guide dogs for the blind training Centre in Leamington spa. This was an amazing day and also a very humbling experience here you see volunteering at its best.

Last Saturday I was one of the judges for the food festivals winter cake competition this was very enjoyable eating wise but not easy to judge every entry was good no sunken fruit to be seen.

Cllr Yvonne Hine, Mayor of Alcester

Well I made a rash promise last weekend that I would learn French by this time next year. This was brought on as I was asked to welcome the French visiting golfers to Alcester. May I thank all the organisers for arranging this very successful weekend, the first of many hopefully?
The Town Council’s Jubilee Centre Committee have arranged another sing-a-long cinema evening on the 17th October, the Committee are working hard to raise money to finish off the last few projects to the Jubilee Centre, the biggest of which will be the resurfacing of the car park during half term this month. Tickets are for sale from Globe House or from the Councillors involved with the running of the Jubilee Centre and will also be on sale at the Golden Oldies Cinema club even this Friday. The last sing-a-long was a huge success and very popular and the menu for this event is promising to be just as delicious, thank you for Cllr Sue Adams for all your hard work catering for these events. There is a pretty big clue in the poster to the film that will be shown and I hope to see plenty of you in fancy dress!

Yvonne Hine, Mayor of Alcester