Forum 2012 – August

Report on the RTW Forum Meeting 27 Sept 2012

These were the two main issues discussed and an update on the K&S Hospital site.:

1. Town Forum Working Structure:

The meeting today was the last before the Annual General Meeting next month when the changes to the working structure of the Forum will be finalised.

Here are the changes which we all agreed with:

The Forum will address its business via several working groups, each led by a Chairman and consisting of maximum 5 people. These are:

Planning and Development Group

Finance and other Issues

Traffic Strategy Group

Leisure, Culture and Tourism

Water in the Wells Group

These groups will meet as frequently as it is necessary and work on particular issues. The meetings of the whole membership will take place six times a year including the AGM.

The liaison with the Council to be clarified and developed and be active on issues affecting the unparished areas.

2.  Council Tax Benefit Scheme

We had a presentation by Nick Saunders, Assistant Benefits Manager and Stephen McGinnes,  Head of Revenue and Benefits at TWBC to ask the Forum’s opinion  on how the TWBC should proceed with the changes the government will be imposing very soon in the Council Tax Benefit Scheme. Basically the Government is going to give a certain amount of money based on the previous expenditure to cover the Tax Benefit Scheme but this time if the monies are not enough the Council will have the responsibility to find a solution. We were given the various options the Council has looked at and we agreed to support one which appears to be least drastic for the people which it will  affect.

3. The K&S Hospital site update

The K&S site is again in the news. There is a presentation at the United Reform Church in Mount Ephraim by Berkeley Homes of their latest plans. The plans have been improved since the last consultation and the Forum will not be requesting a Consultation Meeting. Anybody can see them tomorrow after 4 pm and on Saturday.   They are hoping to start building in January.

Dorothea