Council news

Diss Town Council’s 14 councillors and team of 13 staff have been busy working hard to make Diss a better place to live, work and visit. In the last six months, we have improved facilities, considered 10 planning applications, spent hundreds of hours planning events, progressed with the DDNP to submission stage, provided £6,670 of grant funding, dealt with 2,086 public enquiries, attended 14 committee meetings, welcomed four new market traders and a new town councillor, and administered over 600 enquiries relating to our sites (including processing burials and hiring our venues). Thank you to the many volunteers and partners who make this all happen.

Improving facilities New play equipment in the park includes single interactive pieces for different ages, enabling inclusive play for children with additional needs. CCTV across the town is being upgraded at the Skateboard Park, in the town park, around the boardwalk and gardens and at the Diss Youth & Community Centre (DYCC). We’ve supported the Community Fridge initiative by giving it a home at the DYCC, planting three fruit trees on the site to provide a food source for the project. Work continues to restore an ancient walkway at the rear of the DYCC. The Woodland Walk opens in June to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and is the result of a partnership between Parish Fields Friends, Diss Town Council and South Norfolk Council.

Events 2022 is a big year for events, after a lull due to COVID. Glow in the Park takes place on Thursday 2 June in celebration of her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. And 3 July sees the long-awaited return of the hugely popular Diss Carnival.

Acknowledging community effort Lots of you joined our Annual Town Meeting at the end of April to thank members of our community who have made a difference to the lives of others. George Waterman and Lou Hines were presented with our Honoured Citizen awards. And Plamena Marinova received our Junior Good Citizen award. George set up the town’s successful litter picking group, provides volunteering opportunities for young people and is a key member of the Community Fridge project. Lou fundraises to ensure young people in Diss have access to mental health support. And Plamena uses her spare time to champion the voice of young people. Town Mayor, Councillor Eric Taylor, also

made a special award to Reverend Canon Tony Billett, Rector of Diss Team Ministry, for 20 years’ service to the Diss community. Also in April, Council Leader, Councillor Simon Olander, presented Chris Moyse, former Station Manager at Park Radio, with a certificate in recognition of his significant contribution to establishing a truly local radio station. And, to acknowledge our community’s resilience during the pandemic, a

commemorative plaque was presented to Diss Town Council by Philippa Taylor, one of Norfolk’s Deputy Lieutenants.

Cost savings We’ve been successful in a grant application to the National Lottery ‘Awards for All’. This will cover most of the costs associated with the Beacon surround extension project, and aspects of the Glow in the Park, Jubilee event. As part of our strategic objective to reduce costs and deliver better value, we’ve also increased the revenue from our Sports Ground site and are looking at ways to improve facilities.

Reducing carbon footprint We recently supported the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill as part of our strategic objective of creating a greener town. We have replaced almost all our streetlighting to LED, (reducing our energy and carbon consumption by over 50%), increased in-house recycling, and are investigating renewable energies across our sites.

Infrastructure improvements In partnership with Norfolk County Council (NCC), we’re making highway-related improvements. The Parish Partnership Scheme – funded equally by us and NCC – is one example of this. This year, the public right of way (PROW) linking Walcot Green and Burston Road will be made more accessible. And we’ve been successful in a second bid for a third speed sign. Improvements to the Causeway PROW, and the Vince’s Road junction, are both scheduled for this year. Other partnership projects include the pedestrianisation of Mere Street and a review of parking restrictions.

Sarah Richards,

Town Clerk at Diss Town Council