At the Annual Town Council Meeting of 11 May 2023 the appointments and structures as below were agreed.
Town Council Leader Cllr Brian Smedley
Deputy Leader Cllr Kathy Pearce
Mayor Cllr Mick Lerry
Deputy Mayor Cllr Jacqui Solomon
The Council structure would continue on an Executive system of portfolio Holders backed by 2 support members in a PFH-Triad to ensure debate and agreement amongst leader groups. Increased public involvement was also encouraged through the Forum system.
EXECUTIVE AND PORTFOLIOS
The Policy & Finance Executive should consist of the 8 portfolio holders (PFH) . 3 rule changes were agreed as below
That the TRIADS be allowed to send any one of the 3 should the PFH not be available.
That there be a new CIVIC Triad comprising a) Current Mayor b) previous Mayor and c) Deputy Mayor (ie next Mayor). This triad should be present at Exec, but non-voting.
The opposition Conservative group are entitled to send an observer to the P&F Exec, nominally the Leader of the Opposition, but able to substitute.
COUNCIL STRUCTURE
BTC council structure 2023-24TRIADS
The 3 member Triads are a crucial part of sharing the load and having full discussion of a topic or policy. They should meet regularly and share the workload within their realm. Ie taking Chairs and vice chair of committees and forums and nominating to the appropriate ‘outside body’.
The proposed Triad system for 2023-24 is as follows.
FINANCE
Leader Brian Smedley
Deputy Leader Kathy Pearce
Economy PFH Mick Lerry
Town Council Leader, PFH Finance Clr Brian Smedley
This PFH and triad should focus on the 4 key forums of HISTORY DAY -TWINNING-TOURISM-BRIDGWATER TOGETHER. The new LCN role will fall within this department and will require a BTC rep to compliment the 8 unitary councillors. The Leader will Chair the P&F Exec.
CLIMATE
Deputy Kathy Pearce
Liz Leavy
Jacqui Solomon
Deputy Leader and Climate/Environment PFH Kathy Pearce
This PFH will include the new ENVIRONMENT committee, which all 3 should serve on plus 6 others. Triad should run the 4 areas covering Allotments, cemeteries, seed the day and parks and gardens. This can be any way they see fit but could include a Forum or a working party or directly by the triad.
ECONOMY
Mick Lerry
Dave Loveridge
Tony Heywood
Mayor of Bridgwater & Economy PFH Cllr Mick Lerry
This PFH will also include the STAFF brief (the working party should include the Leader & Deputy) The Triad should also have input on Town Team, Town Deal, Markets. The brief would now include the Town Development Forum.
PROPERTY
Tim Mander
Leigh Redman
Mick Lerry
Property & Planning PFH Cllr Tim Mander
The property portfolio will include chairing the Premises ctte and also the Planning committee. The brief will extend to the new buildings that the town takes on and the property PFH should have a degree of consultation with other portfolios that include property elements. We are proposing Tim Mander because of his work experience at Sedgemoor in the field of property and the extra and specific workload due to the creation of Unitary and the demise of Sedgemoor.
TRANSPORT
Dave loveridge
Mick Lerry
Tim Mander
Dave Loveridge (Transport PFH)
The Transport Forum is a successful self-functioning body with established outside involvement and should continue with more of an environmental drive to it. It will also include the Nuclear related transport bodies.
CULTURE
Irena Hubble
Liz Leavy
Mick Lerry
PFH for Culture, Heritage and the Arts Cllr Irena Hubble
This PFH will cover not just culture but arts and heritage. The PFH and Triad should take shared roles on the BCP and SEED groups in whatever format and ensure at least one is represented on the Art Centre & Museum. One of triad should chair the Museum sub ctte
COMMUNITY
Liz Marsh
Tim Mander
Brian Smedley
PFH for Community and this year’s Mayoress, Cllr Liz Marsh
The main role of this PFH is liaison with our core grant funded community centres – Victoria, Sydenham and Hamp. It should also provide the structure for liaison with the Police plus other community initiatives such as the Community Drop ins (warm rooms) etc
YOUTH
Jacqui Solomon
Irena Hubble
Liz Marsh
PFH for Youth and Deputy Mayor Cllr Jacqui Solomon
The brief of this PFH is maintain and run the Youth Forum plus encourage links from schools.
CIVIC
Mayor
Last Mayor
Next Mayor
This new civic triad of past, present and future Mayors should meet to plan and discuss mayoral role and functions. It will also be eligible to send a rep as an observer to Exec
COMMITTEES
Apart from the elected Committees Mayor Mick Lerry emphasised the desire to ‘share power’.
There are several committees which any member of council can be on. Town Council is not bound by politically proportionality rules but if it were, for fairness, then the balance would be that the Conservative Group should have 18.75% of all committee places. There are 29 committee places (Environment 8 Premises 10 Planning 11). This means 5 Conservative seats. We have allocated this as requested (Environment 1 Premises 2 Planning 2)
The Executive is comprised of the 8 Portfolio Holders as voting members. We have introduced observer status for the Mayoral Triad and for the Conservative Group as a key element of scrutiny and openness. This is in line with the system previously operated by Sedgemoor whereby the portfolios were chosen from the ruling group.
The relevant Triad members should nominate chairs and vice chairs from amongst them.
POLICY & FINANCE EXECUTIVE (8 x PFH)
Ch -Leader/Finance
Economy
Culture
Transport
Deputy/Climate
Community
Property
Youth
ENVIRONMENT
Ch-Pearce
Vc Solomon
Morgan
Lilley
Mander
Loveridge
Hubble
Leavy
PREMISES (PROPERTY)
Ch Mander
Vc Redman
Lerry
Smedley
Pearce
Glassford
Solomon
Leavy
Lilley
Slocombe
PLANNING
CH- Mander
Vc Lerry
Leavy
Heywood
Glassford
Morgan
Loveridge
Solomon
Hubble
Lilley
Aujla
Management Committees
BLAKE MUSEUM
Ch Leavy
Vc Hubble
Mander
Glassford
Loveridge
Slocombe (sub Aujla)
BRIDGWATER ARTS CENTRE
Hubble
Leavy
Smedley
Mander
The Bridgwater Town Council system of Community Forums will open up the councils structures to the publicBRIDGWATER ART CENTRE PROPOSAL ;- The current arrangement is that the BTC nominated Cllrs are DIRECTORS however, annual meeting agreed they should be ‘observers’ so they could vote at BTC meetings but not at BAC ones
FORUMS
These are open to ANY member of the council but should be organised by the relevant Triad and chaired by one of the Triad members. Triads can also choose to set up additional forums if they feel appropriate. Forums should be open to councillors, relevant groups of experts and members of the public, ideally delegates from organised bodies.
Town Development
Tourism
History
Twinning
Transport
Ch Lerry
Ch Smedley
Ch Smedley
Ch Mayor
Ch Morgan
Police
Community
Climate
Ch Smedley
Ch Marsh
Ch Pearce
LOCAL COMMUNITY NETWORKS
Redman
Smedley
Pearce
Bruce
BTC Tim Mander
Slocombe
Duddridge
Rodrigues
Dingwall
BW Without rep
The proposed geography of Somerset’s LCNs
Bridgwater is Area 8 LCN. The 8 county councillors are automatically on it but both BTC and ‘BW Without’ need to appoint a delegate. Tim Mander is the BTC rep on the LCN 8 Area. OUTSIDE BODIES
Wyndham Lecture Trust
LERRY
Town Team
LERRY
Carnival
LEAVY
BCP
HUBBLE
SEED (trustee)
LERRY
Tidal barrier (stakeholders)
LERRY
Tidal Barrier Enhancement
PEARCE
Hamp Community Association
REDMAN
LEAVY
Sydenham Community Centre
MORGAN
GLASSFORD
Victoria Community Centre
LERRY
MARSH
Bw Memorial Homes
SOLOMON
Friends of Wembdon rd cem
LILLEY
SLOCOMBE
Together Team (ONE TEAM)
REDMAN
MARSH
LEAVY
MORGAN
LOVERIDGE
LILLEY
Kingsdown Pavillion
MORGAN
GLASSFORD
All EDF related bodies
REDMAN
SOLOMON
GLASSFORD
SLOCOMBE
MORGAN
Brent Marshall
MORGAN
Allotments
PEARCE
Bank Signatories
REDMAN
PEARCE
LEAVY
SMEDLEY
Parret Drainage Board
LEAVY
MORGAN
MEETINGS
Meetings will be held at the following times-
