Bracknell Town Council News

At the Annual Town Meeting on 15th May 2012, retiring Town Mayor Cllr Mrs Gill Birch presented South Hill Park Trust with £3,000 which she had raised during her Mayoral year by arranging many events ranging from a Grand Dinner to an Easter Egg Hunt. The events were enjoyed by all those who attended and also helped promote the profile of South Hill Park which offers a wonderful variety of entertainment and art.

At the Annual Meeting Cllr Mrs Shelagh Pile was elected to be Town Mayor for a year and Cllr Alvin Finch was elected to be Deputy Town Mayor.

After her inauguration Cllr Mrs Shelagh Pile presented Cllr Mrs Gill Birch with her past Mayor’s badge and thanked her for her work as Town Mayor for 2011/2012.

Afterwards Town Mayor Cllr Mrs Shelagh Pile presented grants totalling £27,437 to local organisations which enables them to continue to provide valuable services to the local community.

Despite Saturday’s heavy rain, local residents joined Bracknell Town’s Mayor Cllr Mrs Gill Birch and Bracknell Forest Council’s Mayor Cllr Chris Turrell for the opening ceremony to mark the completion of the community project “Get Next to Nature at Northerams Wood”. Everyone enjoyed a tour to see the work that has been done and refreshments afterwards.

Bracknell Town Council supported by Bracknell Forest Council was awarded a £7,500 grant from the Big Lottery Fund in February 2011 to help restore this ancient woodland. Over the past year, the project has enabled local people to reconnect with the site by conducting wildlife surveys, take guided walks, and complete practical tasks such as coppicing and making bat boxes. New site improvements include a surfaced circular path and an information board.

Cllr Graham Ellis, leader of Bracknell Town Council, said: "I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in successfully delivering this project and providing a site that can be enjoyed by all the Great Hollands community and the wider population of Bracknell Town.”

© Kevin Poolman and Bracknell Forest Homes The Bracknell in Bloom 2012 campaign and Bracknell Town Your Gardens competition was launched on Thursday 19th April at Bryony and Campion Houses, Wokingham Road.

Wildflower seeds were planted by the Bracknell in Bloom Committee together with guests including Bracknell Town Mayor Cllr Mrs Gill Birch, Maureen Beaugie and Joyce Radish residents from Bracknell Forest Homes Dennis Pilcher House, Cllr Mrs Dorothy Hayes Bracknell Forest Council’s Executive Member for the Environment and Caroline Titley Chief Executive Bracknell Forest Homes. The seeds were supplied by the Royal Horticultural Society to help boost biodiversity in 2012.

For the last two years Bracknell has received a Gold award in the annual Thames and Chiltern in Bloom competition, a regional round of the RHS Britain in Bloom campaign. The Bracknell in Bloom team plans to build on this success in 2012 and will be working closely with residents, community groups, schools and local businesses. When Thames and Chiltern in Bloom judges are taken on their three hour tour of Bracknell in July, the team hopes to show Bracknell at its “blooming best”. The town centre floral displays will be in patriotic colours to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics and Paralympics. There will be accents of gold to reflect Britain and Bracknell “Going for Gold in 2012!”

This year Bracknell Town Council is organising the public horticultural competition Bracknell Town Your Gardens. The aim of the competition is to encourage everyone to take pride in their town and give them an opportunity to take part in Bracknell in Bloom. The competition is open to all residents, businesses, schools or community groups within the Parish of Bracknell Town. For more information about Bracknell Town Your Gardens please visit the Bracknell in Bloom Get Involved page.

Bracknell Town Council leads the Bracknell in Bloom campaign working in partnership with Bracknell Forest Council, Bracknell Forest Homes, Bracknell Horticultural Association, Bracknell Regeneration Partnership and many other local supporters.

Mary Harris, Town Clerk to Bracknell Town Council, is to retire in July. She has been Town Clerk since 2005. She joined the council from a background in housing associations.

Cllr Graham Ellis, leader of the council, said: "Mary has worked hard for the Town Council on many issues in her time here. She has developed rigorous control of the Council's budget, and has professionalised many procedures within the council. This has been very much to the benefit of residents, as we look for more efficient ways of providing services."

Cllr Chris Turrell, chairman of the council's staffing committee, added: "Mary Harris has had good relations with the councillors and staff. This has enabled her to deal effectively with staffing issues in her time here.”

The Town Clerk is the council’s most senior officer. The role of the Town Clerk is to manage the business of the council, take responsibility for its finances and staff, and promote the council effectively to outside organisations. It is also important to maintain good working relationships with other local organisations and groups, and the other five parish councils in Bracknell Forest.