Autumn / Winter 2020
Autumn / Winter 2020
01379 643848
Town Mayor
Our current Mayor for 2021/22 is Councillor Eric Taylor
The Town Mayor is elected annually at the Annual Meeting of the Council. The Mayor wears a chain of office when carrying out official engagements. The chain is also worn on ceremonial occasions as part of the official dress.
The Mayor is keen to support all manner of local organisations and events. If you would like to invite the Mayor to an event or function please email your invitation directly to towncouncil@diss.gov.uk.
Personal Message from the Town Mayor
I feel honoured to be elected by my fellow members of council as the town mayor for 2021/22.
It is especially exciting as we emerge from the pandemic after what has been a very difficult year for us all. With the easing of lockdown, we should hopefully get back to something near to normality quite quickly.
For those that don’t know me I have been a member of council for over three years and have chaired the Planning Committee and been a steering group member of the Diss and District Neighbourhood Plan for most this time. I am passionate about all things Diss and I want the Town to prosper and grow whilst retaining its individuality and unique character.
Initiatives such as the Council’s strategy plan cover areas such as town cleanliness, cost efficiencies and new revenue streams, Mere biodiversity, Diss & District Neighbourhood Plan and Facilities Management Programme (which enable the Council to develop a financial forecast for maintaining its assets) will help us achieve the councils aims.
Of particular interest to myself is the Diss and District Neighbourhood Plan which is now in the final stages of being written. It is expected that by the summer we will go through our final consultation stage before the plan goes to independent examination (which can take up to 6 months) and then on to a public referendum early next year.
Apart from delivering good quality homes in our preferred locations and some infrastructure improvements the plan will better protect our local green spaces against future development and also the towns heritage.
I can’t promise you that I will have all the answers to the towns problems but I can promise you I will work hard to achieve the Councils aims
Eric
Mayor of Diss
I moved with my family to Diss from Manchester in 1983. Throughout my working life I have been involved with the design and manufacture of specialist agricultural machinery and in the last 12 years of working, managed one of the UK’s largest agricultural machinery manufacturers.
When I retired in 2013, I was able to follow my interests in how the town was changing particularly with regard to new development and infrastructure. Initially, this was with the local residents' association but for the last two and a half years with the Town Council where I chair the Planning Committee and am also the Vice-Chair of the Infrastructure Committee.
I joined the Diss and District Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group because of my passion to see Diss grow in a structured way with the right amount of good quality development in the right place. I also wanted to influence the need for better infrastructure to cater for the growth in Diss.
The Mayor's chosen charity for this year is Mind.
If you would like to support the Mayor with his fundraising, please get in touch!
TOWN MAYOR'S BLOG
(by previous Mayor Cllr Sonia Browne)
22 March 2021
Diss Town Mayor marks one minute's silence to honour those affected by the pandemic.
20 March 2021
Diss Town Mayor receives COVID-19 vaccination.
18 March 2021
Diss Town Mayor praises Tesco Foodshare at the DYCC.
24 September 2020
Diss Town Mayor, Sonia Browne, welcomes Kieran Murphy to Diss Town Council.
12 May 2020
Update and messages from our Mayor Councillor Sonia Browne, Sonia has been very busy during lockdown working from Home. Sonia has become a virtual mayor through Zoom and is helping local groups to continue their great work.
9 May 2020
Invitation to take part in the Norfolk and Norwich Festival
7 May 2020
This year marked the 75thAnniversary the Victory in Europe. I am on the Committee which had made
6 May 2020
Had a lovely virtual get together with members of our community. I ordered a takeaway from Spice
22 April 2020
Diss Town councillors are very fortunate to have the support of Diss Youth Town Councillors. When I first
20 April 2020
I love being able to communicate with members of community and was asked to conduct a telephone