Council Name Change

Published: 28 February 2020

On Thursday 27th February, the Full Council resolved to change the name of the Council from Parish to Town. They both have the same statutory powers and can provide the same services. A record of the discussion leading to this change can be viewed in the Minutes published on this web site.

Your council has decided to change its name from Parish Council to Town Council.

As you will know, there was a major change in the local government organisation of Dorset last year with the creation of the Unitary Authority of Dorset Council. This has meant in practice that there is no longer an East Dorset District Council and your local Council has taken on many more services and responsibilities and expects to be required to take on even more in the future. West Moors has over 7,500 residents and is the 15th largest population in Dorset (out of 164 settlements). Dorset Council recently issued a Draft Local Plan to be produced by 2024 which shows that West Moors is categorised as Tier 2 - Towns and Other Main Settlements within the proposed Settlement Hierarchy.

West Moors has very clearly defined boundaries and there will not be a change to its nature or character by this change of name. It may mean that the Council is better placed to protect and enhance what we already have and can respond positively to any future challenges. The costs of this change will be small, mainly being changes in signs; letterheads, invoices etc are printed ‘as required’ so no additional cost. A Town Council is not required to have a mayor.

The change of name from Parish to Town will also help to clarify the difference between the Civil Parish and the Church (Ecclesiastical) Parish as, unfortunately, the office has had many enquiries for booking for Christenings and Confirmations.

Your Council will continue to protect and enhance the facilities and social life of West Moors and ensure that the community continues to thrive.

Work is now underway to rename documents, web pages etc., on this site to reflect this change - but inevitably some will be missed! All documents on this site are current and will shortly reflect the altered name. The 'Header' and 'Footer' straps on this site will not be changed until a new web site is brought into use in summer of this year. At that time, the web address, email names etc., will also be altered to reflect the transformation; full details will be notified nearer the time.