Gillian Summers

I have been a councillor for 13 years, and in 2003 I became the Chairman of the Licensing and Appeals Committee.

I am supported by a very efficient team who in the last three years have been responsible for introducing the Government's new Licensing Act 2003. West Dorset was one of the first district councils to complete the transition of all licensed premises before the deadline of the implementation of new licensing regulations on 24 November 2005.

The Licensing and Appeals Committee oversees the issuing of taxi licences, charity collections, staff appeals and will shortly be introducing the new Gambling Act.

In Bridport:

• As town councillor I will be encouraging the TC to support the developments in the SWQuadrant, and will support particularly the inclusion of small lock-up workshops in amongst affordable housing in the area.
• In the past 15 years I have been involved with the Youth Club Management, Bandits Motor workshop Project, and the Bridport CAB, or which I am presently the Chair. I will continue to support these organisations whenever I can.
• I am particularly keen to see the Late-night-shopping evening re-established in Bridport at Christmas time, and will encourage the Town Council to take this on as a town project.

I am also a member of the Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee where we scrutinise such operations as waste disposal, affordable housing, business support services, environmental health, and voluntary sector grants.

I am the district council's representative on the county council's Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee, Bridport Millenium Green Trust and Bridport and West Dorset Sports Trust (the leisure centre).

I keep in touch with local issues by attending parish council meetings at Chideock, Symondsbury and Morecombelake and Eype Residents' Society. My mother is a resident in Harbour House, West Bay, which I visit often and keep in touch with issues around the elderly and disabled residents. 

I am also the Chairman of Bridport and District Citizen's Advice Bureau, which keeps me in touch with current problems of the local residents, and I accompany the Mayor of Bridport on many of his mayoral duties in the locality, which is most enjoyable.

In my private life I am a yoga teacher and hold three classes a week, and work at home as a remedial massage therapist.  I have four children who are all now living away from home, and five grandchildren. Three of them attend Bridport Primary School, where I am always made very welcome when I visit.

I am very proud to represent Symondsbury Ward as my father Harry Summers was the ward councillor for 17 years before me.