BOB PERRY, SOUTH WEST BRANCH SECRETARY
The summer meeting had a definite Olympic theme, as we gathered in Weymouth which at the time of writing was about to host the sailing events at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Unfortunately many of our regular attendees were absent, but those of us who made the effort to attend enjoyed a particularly distinctive and thought-provoking meeting.
Our venue was the Weymouth Community Safety Centre. To describe this as merely an upmarket fire station would be to sell it very short. The building actually has a very interesting background. The site was formerly occupied by a school which the County Council replaced and was looking for a capital receipt upon disposal of a site surplus to its requirements. At the same time the (separate) Fire and Rescue Authority was seeking to replace its fire station whose site was no longer suitable for modern fire-fighting needs. Fortuitously the left and right hands of public service knew what each other was doing and the school site was sold so that the replacement fire station could be built. The Fire Service decided that it wished to create an asset which would be at the heart of community life. The result is a building which comprises not only a modern fire station but a
community asset which provides fire and other safety information by way of innovative demonstrations to both children and adults, and also meeting rooms, space in which local groups can meet and even a café open for all to use and enjoy.
Our Branch Chairman, James Stubbs, was enjoying himself “somewhere in Europe” and so our Vice Chairman, Tim Mander, steered us through our agenda. The officers’ reports passed off without incident, with our Treasurer, Alison Fisk, advising on an encouraging financial position. Bob Perry reported on the Council meeting held in London in April and arrangements were discussed for the AGM to be held in November, as well as for our spring meeting which Alison will host next March in Stroud, in the far north of our Branch’s area. The Branch’s training event, which will focus on the Localism Act and the Community Right to Bid, has been postponed until the autumn, by which time it is hoped that formal guidance on the Localism Act will have been published. The open forum, in which members are encouraged to raise any topics of professional interest, provoked discussions on the basis of calculating surveyors’ fees in compensation cases and on a policy for dealing with tenanted non-residential
property, amongst other issues.
Unusually we then had two external presentations. Firstly, Wendy Eveleigh from Dorset Police described what her force was doing to ensure a safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games for competitors, officials and spectators alike. She said that this was an enormous challenge for a comparatively small constabulary, but she and her colleagues were confident that the steps which they were taking, together with other agencies, would be sufficient for the task ahead. Secondly, Andy Fowler, the Community Safety Centre Manager, described operational life within the building and then took us around it. We are very grateful to both Wendy and Andy for taking the time to speak to us.
After lunch we made the short car journey to Portland so that we could see the Olympic site for ourselves, prior to returning to the Safety Centre for tea and dispersal. It was a very enjoyable meeting – it’s just a pity that more of our members couldn’t have come to experience it.
Bob Perry South West Branch Secretary
JOANNE FORBES, SCOTTISH BRANCH SECRETARY
The spring meeting of the Scottish Branch took place at Marischal College in Aberdeen on 18 May 2012 and as is our custom at this time of year we made an outing of the event, with members getting together the night before for some good food, fine wine and wholesome conversation! The Branch
THE TERRIER - Summer 2012
was delighted to welcome Heather McManus to both the evening and the branch meeting.
18 branch members were in attendance and the meeting opened with a presentation from Gerry Brough on the Aberdeen City Garden Project which
has been the subject of considerable controversy in recent months and gave rise to lively debate at the meeting. The proposals for the £140 million investment in a park and arts complex on the site of a Victorian-era park at Union Terrace Gardens, funded in part by a gift of £50 million, have split the
59
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68