Dorset

Joy Norman was pronounced dead at the scene after being hit by a Ford Focus.

The history of Christchurch is set to be honoured at the final Full Council meeting of Christchurch Borough Council on Thursday 28 March at 6pm.

It will be the last council meeting before Christchurch Borough Council ceases to exist and is replaced by the new BCP Council on 1 April.

Former members of Christchurch Borough Council, past Mayors, Aldermen and Freeman will be in attendance.

The members of Christchurch Borough Council will be robed in line with tradition, with councillors recalling what the council and borough means to them. Each speech will be recorded and will form part of a formal historic document.

The meeting will close with members of the council signing off the minutes, as the final action of Christchurch Borough Council.

Some historical items and regalia will be on display at the meeting, and these will pass to Christchurch Town Council in April, and will remain Christchurch.

A service to commemorate Christchurch Borough Council and to welcome the new Christchurch Town Council will take place in May at the Christchurch Priory.

The final council meeting will be a public meeting at the Civic Offices, but will also be available to watch via the live stream: https://youtu.be/x4ir-es-MCA

The post Christchurch Borough Council set to mark final council meeting appeared first on Dorset news.

Coastal Communities Minister Jake Berry MP has announced that the Weymouth Quay Regeneration Project has been successful in bidding for £3.79m worth of investment. This money will come from the Coastal Communities Fund [CCF].

Coastal Community Team

Weymouth’s Coastal Community team – including the Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, Weymouth Bid, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, Weymouth Area Development Trust, Weymouth College and other business representatives – are delighted to have been awarded such significant funding.

How will the funding be spent?

A multi-purpose harbour building, which would include:

• a Centre of Excellence for Small Medium Enterprise on the Quay – including employment and co-working space, a café or kitchen and bookable training spaces and meeting rooms
• facilities for boat crews
• accessible space for boat charter businesses to brief day trippers, deep sea anglers and divers
• secure storage and facilities for the Harbour Authority
• state of the art training facilities attracting maritime, marine and other industry students

And attract more visitors to the Town with:

• new pontoons to improve and extend access to fishing and other boats
• a pedestrian walkway around the Peninsula
• fishing improvements

Read more about the application here.

Weymouth Coastal Community Team Chair, Chris Wilson said “ We are absolutely delighted with the news. The Weymouth Quay Regeneration Project will be a great ‘kick starter’ for the redevelopment of the damaged Harbourside, and a boost for the small medium enterprises, both maritime and on land, that make up 82% of our local economy. It has been a partnership and team effort from the start and we want to say thank you to all the people of the town that supported it!”

Great example of collaborative working

Dorset Council’s Executive Director of Place, John Sellgren, said: “This project has been a really great example of collaborative working between the borough council and the community. I would like to thank the outgoing borough council for their efforts and financial support of £2.9m committed towards this project. We look forward to delivering an exciting and ambitious scheme for this area of the town.”

Coastal Communities Fund

The CCF was created by central government to encourage the economic development of UK coastal communities. It allocates funding to boost sustainable economic growth and jobs.

The post £3.79m for Weymouth Quay Regeneration Project! appeared first on Dorset news.

Match commander David Duckenfield denies the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans.

With gas and electricity prices more than doubling in less than seven years and with this trend set to continue East Dorset residents are being urged to sign up to the energy switch scheme to find cheaper suppliers for gas and electricity.

It is part of a national collective switching scheme in which Councils across the country are working together to bring people together to get the best energy deals for their householders and reduce energy bills by switching suppliers together. Thousands of people across the country have already saved money by registering with this scheme. At previous auctions East Dorset district residents have saved up to £300 each per year on their energy bills.

East Dorset District Council are signed up with switching specialists iChoosr who act as an intermediary between the council and the energy suppliers.

Our energy switch scheme involves four easy steps

• Free sign up online without obligation (this takes 5 minutes)
• Auctions take place three times a year; next Auction will be launched on 2nd April with the auction on 21st May 2019
• Once the auction has taken place you will receive a personal offer to inform you how much money you could save, these will be sent out on 3rd June 2019 with offers to be accepted by the closing date of Tuesday 2nd July 2019.
• If you decide to accept the offer, you will enter into a contract for a year with an energy supplier.

If you do not use a computer and you are unable to register online, you can receive help to fill out an ‘offline’ form to register for the scheme so you can benefit from the scheme. For more information you can call East Dorset District Council on 01202 795096

The East Dorset Energy Switch scheme is a secure way to potentially reduce your energy bills, especially if you have not switched in the last two years. As this is a collective the more people that choose to register their interest, the greater the potential benefit for a better tariff from energy companies.

https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/housing/financial-help/east-dorset-energy-switch.aspx

Switch and save now, there are no obligations and it’s completely free, you can be assured East Dorset are working with accredited partners, ichoosr who offer high quality support, before, during and after the switch.

The post Lower your energy bills in 2019 with East Dorset’s energy switch scheme. appeared first on Dorset news.

The find shows the extraordinary lengths criminals will go to smuggle drugs, the Prison Service says.

One man was armed with a Taser and another was carrying a knife in the burglary.

Alan Bryett helped dispose of mud and sand as the tunnels were being dug at the German prison camp.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will no longer exist as separate authorities from 1 April.

Wales wing David Brooks says he is determined to play a key role in helping Wales to reach successive European Championships.

Residents who are at risk of becoming homeless or who are homeless, are set to benefit from funding that will boost the number of private rented sector (PRS) landlords who will offer affordable tenancies.

Government funding of £469,000 has been awarded to the Borough of Poole and Bournemouth and Christchurch Councils to encourage more small and medium sized PRS landlords to offer quality tenancies for more single homeless people and other households at risk of being homeless.

There is currently insufficient affordable and social housing across the three areas and so the funding will be used to create around 150 new tenancies to support a further 130 priority-need households by March 2020, reducing the numbers of people living in temporary and B&B accommodation.

The funding will be used to:

 

• provide incentives for local landlords to provide much needed accommodation for vulnerable tenants.
• enable the social letting agency ‘Homes 4 Let’ to acquire more properties to manage on behalf of landlords
• provide one-to-one tenancy outreach support for people placed by the Council in to new tenancies to help them maintain their tenancy and providing advice on issues such as rent arrears and tenancy breaches.

 

Councillor Robert Lawton, Cabinet Member for Housing, Bournemouth, said, “This is fantastic news. Our focus now is working closely with local landlords and supporting them so that they can contribute to helping to reduce homelessness in the area.  It will also mean less vulnerable people in temporary or emergency accommodation and supporting them to maintain secure tenancies.”

 

Councillor Karen Rampton, Cabinet Member for Housing in Poole, said: “I’m delighted to have been awarded this funding.  We can continue to deliver valuable

work to prevent homelessness, and develop further support for our more vulnerable residents.”

 

Councillor David Flagg, Christchurch Council, said: “This is a great example of showing how we are already working together across the three council areas and how we can achieve even greater results to prevent homelessness and help the most vulnerable. This bodes well for the work that can be taken forward as part of BCP Council.”

The post Cash boost to prevent homelessness across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch appeared first on Dorset news.

A referendum will be held on 2 May 2019 so local electors can decide if they want Dorset Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Bere Regis to help it determine planning applications in the neighbourhood area.

Councillors agreed at the final Full Council Meeting of Purbeck District Council on 19 March 2019 to go ahead with the referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan.

The plan was prepared by the community of Bere Regis. It sets out a vision and objectives for how the parish will develop from 2019 to 2034.

If the plan is supported by the local referendum, it will be used to make decisions on planning applications.

The referendum will take place on Thursday 2 May 2019. Everyone registered to vote in the parish of Bere Regis will receive a polling card specifically for the Referendum. Anyone who has not registered to vote should do so by Friday 12 April 2019 at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Neighbourhood Plans allow communities to work closely with Local Planning Authorities and create plans to shape their areas

The plan can be viewed online at dorsetforyou.gov.uk/neighbourhood-planning-bere-regis; at Westport House, Worgret Road, Wareham   BH20 4PP; or at the Bere Regis Parish Council offices

The post Residents to vote on Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan appeared first on Dorset news.

The Dorset Armed Forces Covenant Programme is hosting the county’s first careers fair specifically aimed at the Armed Forces community.

It will showcase the employment and training opportunities available both here in Dorset and nationally for those in the process of leaving the Armed Forces, as well as veterans and the families of serving members of the Armed Forces.

Dorset has a large Armed Forces community, with four military bases across the county. This event is the first of its kind to be held outside the military bases in Dorset and it is hoped it will be the first of many.

There will be a diverse range of businesses and organisations offering information, advice and recruitment opportunities to all members of the Armed Forces community, including spouses and dependents. There will also be a rolling programme of speakers and workshops throughout the day, offering insights, advice and training, including support to start up your own business.

Voluntary and community organisations will also be on hand to provide advice, support and guidance, as well as life-coaching to Armed Forces personnel and their families.

Kevin Moore, Dorset’s Armed Forces Covenant Programme Coordinator said: “We are excited to be able to put on this exciting event that will offer opportunities and inspiration to everyone within the Armed Forces Community in Dorset.

“There will be a special focus on opportunities for the spouses of serving members of the Armed Forces, as this group can be overlooked.”

The event runs between 11 a.m – 7 p.m on 24 April 2019, with organisers suggesting a stay of at least an hour to make the most of the workshops, information stands and guest speakers throughout the day.

Entry is free to Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families

Businesses and recruiters can book a stand at the event for £20 to promote their organisation and any opportunities they have. Voluntary, charitable and community organisations can book a stand for free.

To book please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/armed-forces-community-careers-and-lifestyle-event-tickets-56416763057

For more information about booking / attending (including exhibitors) contact Ian Wells: at ian.wells@dorsetcc.gov.uk or on 01305 244307 .

This event is being organised by the Dorset Armed Forces Covenant Programme, which is a partnership between Dorset County Council, Bournemouth Borough Council, Borough of Poole, Dorset HealthCare NHS University Foundation Trust, NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group and Dorset Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and in conjunction with Wessex Reserve Forces and Cadets Association and Kingston Maurward College.

The post Armed Forces careers fair coming to Kingston Maurward College appeared first on Dorset news.

A Swanage man has been sentenced to 200 hours community service and fined £2,085 after attempting to charge an 84-year-old woman an excessive amount for roofing work that was not even needed.

Alan Witchell, 30, pleaded guilty to three offences under the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations at a hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court, following an investigation by Dorset County Council Trading Standards officers.

In 2017, Mr Witchell called on the woman’s home initially to inspect some loft insulation that had previously been installed. He then went on to persuade her that she needed to have the outside of her roof cleaned and treated with a protective coating on the basis that the roof was covered in moss and that if the moss froze it would damage the tiles. The total cost was to be £5371.50.

When the victim went to the bank to raise the money for the £1000 deposit the bank intervened and called the police and so no money was lost.

Expert evidence showed that the moss presented no risk to the tiles, the work was unnecessary and a reasonable price for the work was just £1350.00.

Sentencing him, the judge told Mr Witchell that if he had been involved in the organisation of the crime he would have been send straight to prison. However, the judge accepted that he had been recruited by others, but that Witchell “must have appreciated [the victim] was going to be fleeced” and so sentenced him to 200 hours of community work over two years.

Richard Herringshaw, principal Trading Standards officer for Dorset County Council said: “I hope this sentence acts as a deterrent for others. I must thank the victim for agreeing to provide a statement, without which we would not have been able to take this further. The case came to light through our close working relationship with Dorset Police and our continued focus on rogue traders.

Consumers who want to report unfair trading problems to Trading Standards, or to complain about any goods or services, should contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.

The post Salesman sentenced for misleading a vulnerable consumer appeared first on Dorset news.

One of the world's most famous locomotives has steamed into Dorset for a visit.

Passengers will face disruption all day after engineering works overrun at London Waterloo.

Work to refurbish the skate park at Two Riversmeet Leisure Centre began on Monday 18 March, with a new skate park set to open in the summer.

Christchurch Borough Council has worked together with Maverick Industries; a Poole based Design Company, to create new designs for the skate park.

The improvements to the skate park are part of the wider Christchurch Play Project, which has seen £1.2 million invested into local playgrounds throughout the borough.

A public consultation was held in early February, and provided a chance for the users of the skate park to engage in the process.

The consultation was attended by over forty skate park users, and allowed them to give feedback on the designs for the new skate park. After the consultation, suggestions were considered and final plans for the new skate park were published.

Rebecca Whelan-Edmonds, Community and Recreation Officer, Christchurch and East Dorset Councils said: “We’re really pleased to be working with the experts at Maverick Industries on this project. They have installed some of the best skate park in the UK and they really push the boundaries to ensure that skate parks users have a great experience in their parks”.

The brand new skate park will include a range of new features which will include:  a Quarterpipe, Quarterpipe Hip, Spine, Floating Ledge, Flatbank, Snow Plough Hip and a Bowled Quarter pipe.

The new design will provide the local community with a modern state-of-the-art facility, providing users of all abilities the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic new skate park.

The post Skate Park in Christchurch set to be refurbished appeared first on Dorset news.

Hampshire are seeking potential replacements for Dimuth Karunaratne but can compete without one, says Adrian Birrell.

The casket of ashes bearing the name Audrey Maguire were washed up on a beach just before Christmas.

A police and crime commissioner comes under fire for suggesting the town as a gateway to the UK.