Dorset

Two local communities are just one step away from having approved neighbourhood plans for their area.

Final versions of the Upper Marshwood Vale Neighbourhood Plan and Sutton Poyntz Neighbourhood Plan were submitted to Dorset Council for examination and referendums were held. Residents voted on whether to accept or reject the plans on 13 February 2020.

In both areas, residents voted to accept the plans.

69 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the Upper Marshwood Vale Neighbourhood Plan.

81 per cent of votes were cast in favour of the Sutton Poyntz Neighbourhood Plan.

Both plans were drawn up by local people with support from Dorset Council’s Planning Policy Team.

What is a neighbourhood plan?
Neighbourhood plans were introduced in the Localism Act 2011 and aim to give residents more say in the future use of land and buildings in their area. For example a neighbourhood plan can say where new homes, shops or offices might be built or where important green spaces might be protected.

What happens next?
Both neighbourhood plans will now be taken to Dorset Council Cabinet, where councillors will decide whether to formally adopt them.

If formally adopted, the neighbourhood plans will be used to inform decisions on planning applications in the area.

Cllr David Walsh, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:

“I am pleased that communities are coming together to influence future development in their area.

“It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to bring a Neighbourhood Plan forward and have it supported at a referendum. I look forward to presenting these plans to members and am confident of positive outcomes.”

You can view the neighbourhood referendums and plans online;

Upper Marshwood Vale Neighbourhood Plan referendum

Upper Marshwood Vale Neighbourhood Plan

Sutton Poyntz Neighbourhood Plan referendum

Sutton Poyntz Neighbourhood Plan

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Dorset Council has successfully prosecuted a man for fly-tipping offences.

 

Dominic Adrian Woods, 33, pleaded guilty to a charge of fly-tipping at Weymouth Magistrates Court on 17 February, and was given a suspended sentence of four weeks, on condition that he commit no further offences during the next 12 months.

He was ordered to pay £115 victim surcharge, £100 costs and made subject of a Criminal Behaviour Order for 5 years.

Woods, together with another male, owned and operated a business called RightWey Man and Van Services. In June 2019 they undertook garden clearance at a home in Christchurch for which the house holder paid £150 for, and was issued with a Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note for the waste removed.

They returned to complete more work at the home a few days later, this time removing concrete paving slabs, tarmac and other construction waste. Again, the householder paid £150, however on this occasion, no Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note was issued.

The householder’s construction waste, instead of being taken to a licensed site for disposal, was then dumped in a hedged area on private land at Coldharbour, Chickerell near Weymouth. There was no permit for waste disposal at this site.

The investigation started after an Enforcement Officer from Dorset Waste Partnership received a tip-off about a video circulating on social media showing Woods, in control of a tipper vehicle, dumping a large amount of construction waste in the Coldharbour area.

Following a visit to the site at Coldharbour in July, Enforcement Officers met the landowner who stated that he had given permission to RightWey Man and Van Services to deposit waste onto his land.

He said the only restriction he had given was that the waste must not rot. There had been no payment for the deposit of waste nor paperwork issued.

He also confirmed that he had no Environmental Permit or Waste Exemption in place.

During the investigation the vehicle used in the offences was seized by Enforcement Officers. Despite issuing a Notice of Return for the vehicle, it was not claimed and has since been disposed of.

Cllr Tony Alford, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Customer, Community and Regulatory Services, said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on our community and a drain on taxpayers’ money, so we take a firm stance when it happens.  We will always pursue all avenues to hold offenders to account.

“Residents should report fly-tips to us, only use reputable businesses or individuals if they need help moving their rubbish and get a waste transfer note when handing items to someone else to dispose of.

“They risk prosecution and a criminal record if their waste is fly-tipped and they are unable to show they took reasonable steps to prevent it.”

The Criminal Behaviour Order for Woods means he cannot be involved in any business which involves collecting, transporting, depositing, storing or processing controlled waste from any residential, commercial or business premises of which he is not the owner or occupier for five years. This is the first time that the Council have sought a Criminal Behaviour Order for waste crime.

Criminal Behaviour Orders were brought in to law ostensibly as a replacement for ASBOs. They are intended to prohibit offenders from continuing with behaviour that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person; the making of the Order in this case is an example of the Courts’ recognition of the distressing effect of waste crime on both individuals and the wider public.

People can find out more about Dorset Council’s fight against fly-tipping at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/tip-off

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Dorset Council’s micro-surfacing programme will get underway next week following its postponement last autumn due to bad weather.

The programme of work will start in Swanage – where twenty residential roads are being restored – with Eurovia Surface Treatments carrying out the work on behalf of Dorset Highways.

Mirco-surfacing adds a new layer of surface, to seal and protect local roads. It is another cost-effective treatment for worn, but not structurally failing, roads and adds reinforcement to the existing asphalt.

The treatment is laid over the top of the old surface and helps preserve the road as well as filling in shallow cracks and holes.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Cabinet member for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:

“As part of our ongoing work to maintain roads, and keep them in good condition, we’re utilising the most appropriate treatment for the type of damage exhibited.

“We’ve previously used micro-surfacing in the Westham area of Weymouth and it has worked very well on these residential roads.”

Swanage roads will be surfaced between 28 October and 8 November, with advance signage giving precise dates on the roads affected.

Due to the large equipment and number of vehicles used to carry out the work, roads will need to be closed during the treatment and vehicles moved off the road beforehand.

Roads will be closed 8am to 4pm with a locally signed diversion route and a gateman posted at the closure to address any queries.

Cllr Gary Suttle, elected member for Swanage ward, said:

“I appreciate that many roads in the town are in dire need of work and welcome this activity as a step towards repairing some of this damage.”

Cllr Bill Trite, elected member for Swanage, said:

“I’m very keen to see this work underway. Please look out for signs advising of exact dates your road is being treated, and bear with us while this work is carried out.”

Where necessary, some sites have already had patching work carried out in preparation for micro-surfacing.

Road surfaces will be swept the day after treatment, with white lines replaced between three and five days after the work.

More roads across the county are scheduled for micro-surfacing during March and April.

 

 

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Council tax contributions for Dorset Council will increase by just under 4% to help fund the rising cost of adult social care and children’s services, protecting the most vulnerable people in society.

The increase will also protect so called ‘discretionary’ services which are services a council can choose to provide but does not have to, such as country parks, weed clearing and school crossing patrols. Dorset councillors are keen to avoid any reductions in services for residents.

Why do social care services need more funding? Growing demand…

Social care provides essential care and assistance for children and young people at risk of harm, people with disabilities and older people who need extra support.

We are legally required to provide social care, and these services are often expensive to provide. Well over half of our total budget is spent on adults’ and children’s social care.

Demand for both adults’ and children’s care has been rising rapidly over recent years and this growth is forecast to continue into the foreseeable future. As our population ages, people are living longer with increasingly complex health conditions. We’re also caring for and supporting more children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Why can’t the council fund social care without increasing council tax?

Since 2010, central government grants to councils have been cut by nearly 60%. We no longer receive any Revenue Support Grant from central Government. Instead, the Government expects us to raise the funding we need through council tax. This is why 2% of the increase in council tax is what is known as a ‘social care precept’ – in other words, central Government is encouraging councils to increase council tax specifically in order to fund the growing cost of social care.

As you can see from this chart showing our sources of funding, Dorset Council is very dependent on council tax for income. Unlike some other councils, we get relatively low income from business rates and other sources.

Efficiencies, not cuts

Since the reorganisation of local government and the creation of Dorset Council on 1 April 2019, we have already achieved cost reductions of around £17m. Here are some examples:

• A reduction in the number of senior officer roles, and removal of duplication across support services like finance, HR and IT
• A reduction in the number of councillors from 204 to 82
• Cost reductions have been made on insurance, audit fees, banking and other activities where the council only has to pay for one organisation rather than six.

Next year, we plan to make further multi-million pound savings by:

• reducing the number of properties and land the council owns
• reducing travel and transport costs
• procuring services and products for the council more efficiently
• and changing the way we provide services so it’s a better experience for residents but delivered at lower cost.

All savings are reinvested into essential services for residents such as social care, highways and waste collection.

Our councillors are also lobbying Government for fairer funding for Dorset, particularly for special educational needs and disabilities and social care.

Protecting services

Our aim is to get the council working more efficiently, reducing the cost of overheads, and ensuring more of the council’s resources go into services for residents.

Cllr Spencer Flower, Leader of Dorset Council, said: “We would of course prefer not to raise council tax. However, we are left with no choice due to a steady decline over recent years in the overall funding from central government and the rising cost of adult social care and children’s services. The alternative would be to cut discretionary services such as country parks, weed clearing and school crossing patrols which neither I nor my colleagues wish to do.

“As an advocate for Dorset, over recent months I have lobbied Government for fairer funding – particularly for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and social care. As a result, we did secure a much needed additional £10m funding from Government in the autumn spending review. I will continue to make the case for Dorset with Government throughout the coming year.

“We have a statutory obligation to deliver many of our services. And looking after our most vulnerable residents is very important to us. And it is also important that we achieve a balanced budget through efficiency, not cuts.”

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