My letter to the Thetford and Brandon Times, 31.01.11

Dear Editor Following the correspondence recently concerning the ability of the Town Council to instigate change in Thetford, as someone who has now served as a Town Councillor for 3 years, I would make the following points. The Town Council has a yearly expenditure of nearly ¾ of a million pounds, it spends £750,000 per year, the majority of which (£500,000) comes from council tax payers in Thetford, with the remainder coming from different sources of income – particularly rental income from Town Council owned buildings. I do not think this level of expenditure is insignificant – if spent wisely and with due regard to value for money, that level of yearly expenditure could achieve a significant amount in our town – bear in mind of course that the Town Council is able to reclaim VAT, so that yearly expenditure is already worth more than many regard. Furthermore, the Town Council does own considerable assets; The Guildhall, Carnegie Room, Red Lion, Royal British Legion building, Rudlings and Wakelam building, the Shambles, London Road cemetery chapel and cottage and others. In addition, The Town Council has significant financial reserves – several hundreds of thousands of pounds in fact. And of course, all Town Councillors are Trustees of the Staniforth Trust, responsible for Kings House and Kings House gardens and with other financial reserves as well. The Town Council is also responsible for land, not least our Common Land – Barnham Common, Melford Common, plus all of the allotment land in Thetford, and it is responsible for Castle Park and the surrounding land – including Castle Hill. The Town Council has significant resources, not least our staff team with a whole range of skills at its disposal. So, far from being remote and irrelevant, the Town Council has a significant role to play in the life of our town. It does not have to sit back and moan about the shortcomings of Breckland Council (numerous as they are), but could work towards improving our town and the quality of life for residents – putting Thetford first. This all of course is what is possible. Despite some notable accomplishments, there remains so much more that the Town Council could be doing, not least providing a strong and passionate collective voice for our town. I have often felt in the past that our Town Council has ‘mumbled itself into insignificance’. Alas, all is not lost. Elections to Thetford Town Council are taking place on the 5th May 2011, and I urge everyone in Thetford not to disregard this, take an active interest and participate in your democratic right to vote. The Town Council could achieve so much more, and I sincerely hope that it does. Terry Jermy Elm Road, Thetford Thetford Town Council – Saxon Ward