Town Council
After a delayed start due to a lack of nominations, an election was held in Bowness South ward for the first time in many years, where 7 candidates stood for the 5 available seats. I would like to see elections held in every ward in the future, because democracy is only truly in action where voting takes place. We still have two vacancies, which we hope to fill by co-option by the end of this month.
A Statutory Meeting takes place at the first meeting of the year, where the councillors elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor and appoint representatives to various organisations and committees. This is followed by the regular meeting, which takes place twice a month, normally on the second Wednesday and fourth Monday in the month.
One of the first changes made by the new council was to start the meeting at 7.00 pm from September, instead of 6.30 pm. We hope the later start time will encourage a wider cross-section of the community to become involved.
The public are welcome to attend all our meetings and it has been very pleasing to see so many members of the public coming along over the last few weeks.
Rayrigg Meadow
The area known as Rayrigg Meadow was acquired by public subscription in 1937 for the benefit of the residents of and visitors to Windermere and Bowness and given to Windermere Urban District Council to care for on behalf of the public. Following the reorganisation of local government in 1974 the land was passed to SLDC, who have continued to care for it on our behalf. The District Council is now in the process of forming a Charitable Trust in order to safeguard this asset for future generations and Windermere Town Council has been offered the opportunity to take on the trusteeship. We are currently assessing the implications of such a move particularly with regard to the financial and health and safety aspects. Should the Town Council take on the trusteeship? We would like to know what you think.
Baddeley Clock
2007 is the centenary of Baddeley Clock. The clock was erected in 1907 to commemorate Mountford John Baddeley, a well-known writer of guide books, who lived in Windermere at the turn of the twentieth century. Plans are underway to celebrate this centenary in September.
Viv Bell, Mayor of Windermere
