Councillors on Dorset Council’s area planning committee today, Thursday 20 July, have voted to approve an application to demolish the former Weymouth and Portland Borough Council offices at North Quay, Weymouth.
At a full council meeting on Thursday 13 July, Dorset Council Leader, Cllr Spencer Flower, made the following comments in response to a question about the Home Office’s decision to house asylum seekers on a barge in Portland Port.
On Tuesday 25 July 2023, Dorset Council’s draft library strategy will be reviewed by Cabinet for approval. The strategy aims to protect and enhance the council’s library service, with a fresh approach to delivering services and no proposed branch closures. The strategy has been shaped by public feedback and data.
Proposals to start the design for an 80-bed reablement centre in the heart of Dorchester are to go to Cabinet next week (25 July). The proposed centre would be on the Dorset County Hospital (DCH) site near Bridport/Damers Road, forming a significant partnership for health and social care for the years to come. The… Read more Plans for 80-bed reablement centre for Dorset unveiled
Dorset Council is calling on residents to get in touch if they can open their homes and hearts to people who have fled the war in Ukraine. So far, more than 400 households in Dorset have sponsored refugees as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, but we still need more. As the war sadly… Read more Could you offer a home to Ukrainian refugees in Dorset?
Dorset Council has significantly strengthened the support and services available for young people who have spent time in care, a recent visit from Ofsted (the office for standards in education) has found.
Dorset Council, in partnership with NHS Dorset and Dorset Parent Carer Council, has delivered its first ever Local Offer Live. A fortnight of events for parents, caregivers and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Practitioners, service providers and partners came together this month to celebrate 10 years of Dorset Families Matter, a government funded support scheme which helps the county’s most vulnerable families.
A grant programme that can provide revenue support to arts, culture and heritage organisations within the Dorset Council area has opened for applications.
It’s Srebrenica Memorial Week (5 -11 July), the 28th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. A flag is flying over County Hall in Dorchester this week in memory of all those who died or suffered in the Srebrenica area in Eastern Bosnia 28 years ago, described by Kofi Annan as “The worst crime on European soil since the… Read more Dorset marks Srebrenica Memorial Day
Two days of conferences, both with the theme of ‘Belonging’, were held at Durlston Country Park recently for those working in education, health, the emergency services and the community and voluntary sector to look at how they could improve the lives of young people in Dorset through the work they do.
Cllr Laura Beddow, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Culture and Communities, said: “Over recent weeks, Dorset Council has been negotiating with the Home Office to secure an appropriate funding package for our work on the Portland barge scheme. It is essential that we can continue to meet residents’ needs while also providing new services for… Read more Latest statement on asylum seeker barge
A new service for people who need help understanding, accessing or having their interests represented in health and social care services, has been launched.
Councillors express their support for the hospital discharge and reablement work being provided by Care Dorset Partnership work between Dorset Council and its local authority trading company Care Dorset is improving the quality of people’s care and enhancing hospital discharge services. The Care Dorset Shareholder Committee meeting heard that residential care home bed occupancy levels… Read more Care Dorset – Improving the quality of people’s independence and enhancing hospital discharge
Work continues to prolong the life of our roads. This July, the areas listed below will receive surface dressing.
Autistic children and young people in Dorset will have a better educational experience following the recent launch of the Autism in Schools Project which will improve the approach of the whole school, both students and teaching staff, to understanding autism.
The Housing Options Team at Dorset Council have recently extended their services to include face-to-face pre-booked appointments across the county. The sessions will enhance ways in which customers can access their services. This is on top of the popular telephone and email service that already exists.
A rural school has been transported onto the ultrafast broadband highway thanks to Dorset Council’s ‘Fibre Hub Connectivity in Rural Dorset’ project. Stalbridge Primary School, near Sturminster Newton, is one of dozens of rural schools and community buildings being connected to some of the fastest internet speeds in the country. The council was awarded funding… Read more Rural school transported from the country lane to the ultrafast highway
The bank of the River Stour bordering the A357, between the bridge and the turning to Sturminster Newton Mill, is slipping into the river. To prevent the road subsiding, we will be strengthening the riverbank this autumn 2023.
The consultation about Dorset Council’s Housing Strategy has reached an important milestone after members endorsed the approach taken to develop it.
Our highways maintenance gangs are out across the council area continuing to repair road damage.
Fifteen high quality affordable rural homes are to receive their first tenants in the next few weeks thanks to the hard-work of a Community Land Trust. Northcombe Lea, the affordable housing site at Netherhay Lane, Drimpton comprises a mixture of apartments and one, two and three bedroomed homes and has come to fruition due to… Read more Providing local people with affordable housing – The Community Land Trust Approach
Dorset Council’s Customer Services team are celebrating winning two awards at the 2023 South West Contact Centre Awards.
Dorset Council has been appointed as one of 48 responsible authorities’ in England, to lead in the preparation of a new Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the county.
Residents and visitors can enjoy a daily free bicycle ride, 7 days a week, in southeast Dorset this summer.
A free training course has recruited enough digital champions to help thousands of Dorset residents access vital digital services. The initiative, run by Dorset Council, has trained and recruited 950 people who work in frontline roles to be embedded digital champions. And, on average, each embedded digital champion is helping at least one person a… Read more Dorset’s army of embedded digital champions helping thousands of people get online
Round 4 of the Household Support Fund (HSF) will reopen for applications at 10am on Tuesday 4 July 2023 for low-income households in the Dorset Council area. The support will be in the form of supermarket vouchers. Citizens Advice will be allocating this fund on behalf of Dorset Council and vouchers will be issued to… Read more Round 4 of the Household Support Fund reopens for applications
Dorset Council’s Executive Director for Children’s Services, Theresa Leavy, has been named as the Municipal Journal’s (MJ) Corporate Director of the Year
Help for residents, communities, and businesses in Dorset to reduce energy use and tackle rising costs will continue, according to a new report from Dorset Council.
Hundreds of people turned out for an Armed Forces Day celebration at the Corn Exchange in Blandford on Saturday 24th June.
