Dorchester to mark 50 years of the Town Council in 2024
Events are being put together to mark the anniversary
Events are being planned for later this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Dorchester Town Council.
Members of the public, serving and past councillors will be asked for their recollection of the council since it was formed in 1974.
Discussions are being held about the possibility of an open-air gathering in the Borough Gardens, similar to the annual ‘Love Parks’ event, with an civic reception in September after the full council meeting.
A suggestion has also been put forward to plant a flower bed in the Borough Gardens in the shape of the town’s logo.
Among the activities of the town council are running the town’s parks, recreations grounds, allotments, sports and play fields and cemeteries; the Municipal Buildings, and providing a forum for feedback to Dorset Council on planning and other issues in the town.
With Dorset Council, the town council is also the junior partner in the weekly Fairfield markets with responsibility for other markets, including those in Cornhill and occassional markets held elsewhere in the town.
The town council also takes on some tourism and cultural roles with involvement with many community and youth groups.
Dorchester’s first mayor and town clerk were recorded in 1629 although it was not until the mid-1930s that anything resembling the current council structure came into being.
Some of the previous councils bearing the town’s name have had more powers than the 1974-created authority has today.