Mayor Edwina and Rich Pitts sign off at Town Council’s annual meeting

Two stalwarts of Marlborough’s Town Council who have decided to stand down as councillors gave illustrated reports on their work at the council’s annual meeting on Monday (April 22.) Edwina Fogg was Mayor through the busy summer of 2012 with both the Olympic torch and the Jubilee as landmark events for the town. Rich Pitts has chaired the Amenities and Open Spaces Committee.

Before their reports, Mayor Edwina presented Mayor’s Certificates of Commendation to the volunteers of two committees which have supported her work during her mayoralty. First her fundraising committee and secondly her organising committee for the town’s Diamond Jubilee events.

Mayor Fogg had chosen the Prospect Hospice as her charity for her year in office. Her choice reflected her sadness at the death of a neighbour Mike Bracey whose partner Susie was Chair of the Jazz Festival – and she was one of the recipients of a certificate.

With the help of her committee, nearly £8,000 has been raised for the Prospect Hospice which cares for many people from the Marlborough area.

The Diamond Jubilee committee had co-ordinated the town’s many events during the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. And many of those events featured in the Mayor’s richly illustrated report – “A Year in the Life of Marlborough”.

Rich Pitts has been chair of the Amenities and Open Spaces Committee. His illustrated report showed the work done in and around the town – most notably this year on the community orchard and the plan to manage Stonebridge Meadows.

What caught the eye of many in the town hall was the video made by young people about their ‘slack lining’ – a sort of low level tight-rope walking – in Priory Gardens. Councillor Pitt hoped the new council would install posts for ‘slack lining’ beside the skate park.

It was clear from the relaxed nature of the meeting that as the town council had not enough election candidates to go to a vote – come May 2 none of them would be troubled by that particular form of political tight-rope walking.

Councillor Loosmore of the Property Committee reported on the preparations for the town hall to received live transmissions of plays and opera. For the Finance and Policy Committee, Councillor Ross revealed a surplus for the year of nearly £18,000 and detailed the grants made to local organisations totalling £6,800.

The Caffè Nero saga was the only contentious planning decision of the 165 applications received by the Planning Committee during the year. Councillor Francis pointed out that the Planning Inspector did say there was a case to be heard, but had allowed Caffè Nero its appeal.
Last year there were three members of the public at the annual meeting. This year there were over thirty people – though some of those were, of course, there to receive their certificates.

Questions were taken from the floor – including a heartfelt plea to do something about the safety of pushchairs and wheelchairs travelling through the George Lane car park toward the surgery. The condition of the path along the river bank was raised but quite who owns both path and river bank is not yet quite clear.

Certificate presentations:

For those on the fundraising committee: