BUNGAY Town Council is moving towards achieving quality council status, the mayor, John Warnes, told those at the annual town meeting at the Riverside Centre on Monday.

BUNGAY Town Council is moving towards achieving quality council status, the mayor, John Warnes, told those at the annual town meeting at the Riverside Centre on Monday.

A quality council sub-committee has been set up and two councillors, Angela Brook and Janet Blowers-O'Neill, had been working extremely hard on the project, he said.

Already monthly councillor surgeries had been established to give members of the public the opportunity to raise issues and make comments on what was going on in the town, and a regular council newsletter had been established and was proving a success.

Mr Warnes also praised the work of the Bungay Community Partnership, headed by Martin Evans. At one recent meeting more than 100 people, including representatives from the business community and local organisations, had attended, and as a result sub-committees had been set up to look at a number of topics, including business, sport, health and tourism.

“Ultimately the partnership will produce a vision for the future good of the town,” Mr Warnes said.

The youth partnership had done a remarkable job in setting up the Bunka project in the basement of the building in the Market Place occupied by Abbott's estate agents. Aided by a grant of �50,000, it would be a focus for young people, and should have its official opening in the near future.

Mr Warnes said all the projects had been ably supported by Chris Reeve, Waveney's community development officer for Bungay.

During the year councillors had considered the local development framework for Bungay, being worked up by Waveney District Council, which would establish a strategy for the next 15-20 years.

“It strongly supports the growth of industrial sites and we have responded accordingly. We now await the final document in October,” Mr Warnes said.

He also outlined the large number of events in Suffolk he had attended to represent Bungay, including 15 civic services.

Town clerk Peter Morrow presented the annual accounts which showed the council's income for the year was �58,736 and expenditure �59,465, with balances amounting to �98,151.

Income included the precept of �29,150, and Mr Morrow said this year Bungay had asked for �34,150 for its local needs. Rent from the Bungay and Waveney Valley Golf Club for the land on the common owned by the council amounted to �5,500, and receipts from the Riverside Centre �9,136.

Main outgoings were Riverside Centre revenue costs of �11,138, the Staithe project (�10,419) and salaries and on costs �13,038. During the year the council had made donations to local organisations and projects amounting to �5,758.

The annual civic evening, when the winners of the Bezant Cup, Collyer Cup and Civic Award will be announced, is on Friday, April 30.