“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing".
These are the words of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.
There was only one option for the Town Council when faced with the closure of the town bus service when funding was withdrawn at the end of August. We had to do the “right thing” and the “right thing” was to leave no stone unturned in our bid to save the much-loved service.
The news that the bus had made its last journey around town came just before I was appointed mayor and in my acceptance speech I made that promise to explore all options and I can remember thinking that from the look on the faces of some of my council colleagues they thought it was a tad ambitious.
A banker’s draft will soon wing it's way to the Wimborne company which will be providing a 16-seater mini-bus which we will take ownership of it in about eight weeks. And we have nine volunteer drivers itching to get behind the wheel.
We are conscious of the fact that it’s not just about nipping into town to do a bit of shopping. For some of the passengers it’s the only social interaction they might have that day and they stay on the bus for the full circuit.
In doing the “right thing” we were conscious of how much the elderly and infirm relied on the town service which the council had subsidised to the tune of around £17,000 every year since 2017. Had we taken over the previous service it would have cost the council taxpayers around £100,000 a year – half a million pounds for the tenure of this council.
The arrival of our own town bus and the relaunch of the service, the intention is that the service will initially run for three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), and will undoubtedly be one of the council’s big achievements in 2025 but there are a number of other projects involving heavy investment which will be completed.
These include the opening of the new amenities building in the Lister gardens and the completion of the renovation of the re-built Garden Pavilion, formerly known as the gazebo.
The council had decided to demolish the building, a favourite haunt of vagrants and the homeless, following complaints about the amount of vomit, excrement and drug paraphernalia which had to be cleaned up by council staff on a daily basis.
When this became public, the Facebook fraternity went into overdrive. The council listened to those who urged the council to repair the construction rather than demolish it. We listened to what they said and reversed the decision A good example of democracy at work although councillors received a great deal of criticism, par for the course.
At first we considered employing a company already working in the gardens to carry out of renovation but then decided to use our own external staff. And they did a brilliant job, saving the council thousands of pounds. We have had discussions with a group of volunteers who are hoping to play a part in looking after the new-look pavilion.
I’m also looking forward to cutting the opening tape of the new amenities building in the Langmoor Gardens which houses the crazy golf and table tennis staff, a rest room for the gardening staff and new public toilets. A significant investment has gone into this project alongside the provision of an outdoor multi-gym which is proving to be very popular with all ages.
Other projects that will reach fruition in 2025 include the construction of a multi-use games area on the Anning Road playing field and renovation of the Cemetery Lodge which at one time was the home of the gravedigger. Renovation of the former Harbourmaster’s Store on Monmouth Beach is also reaching completion.
The council’s biggest challenge of all in 2025 is likely to be the transition from our offices in Guildhall Cottage to St Michael’s Business Centre which is owned and run by the Lyme Regis Development Trust. We have negotiated a 21-year lease and will take occupation at the end of this month but it I likely to be early summer before we move into our new base.
Guildhall Cottage has served us well over the years but it’s no longer fit for purpose and the building will be offered for sale probably for residential use.
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During the Christmas break I was able to take two of my granddaughters, Ella and Freya, to our wonderful museum and they thoroughly enjoyed it, especially everything to do with Mary Anning. This gives me the opportunity to thank the team of volunteers at the museum for making the museum such a huge asset for Lyme Regis.
We also popped into the Guildhall where the girls were thrilled to see their grandad’s name on the Mayors’ honours board. They were accompanied by my daughter Francesca, no stranger of course to the Guildhall where she covered the affairs of the council for many years. I first took Chez to a council meeting when she was just a 14 year-old, for which I should probably have been reported to the NSPCC!.
It’s going to be a very busy 2025 for the council and may I take this opportunity of wishing all our residents a very happy New Year.