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April 2022 April 2022
In terms of energy suppliers, Dorset Council does not have any direct contractual
links with Gazprom, or any other Russian supply. We have a contract for gas via BERE REGIS SCOUT GROUP
Laser buy group with Total Gas & Power, and liquid gas with FloGas. It’s worth
saying we do not necessarily know about the full supply chains of those we Happy New Scouting Year! Despite all the Covid
contract with. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and our restrictions, all of our four sections; Beavers age 6 -
reliance on fossil fuels and along with significant investment over the next five 8; Cubs age 8- 10½; Scouts 10½- 14; Explorers 14-
years, in services for residents and in our buildings, we are also working to divert 18, have started the New Year refreshed after the
our pension fund away from investment in fossil fuels. Christmas break. In these difficult and uncertain
We do have some indirect exposure to Russian companies through the pension times for our young members we hope to bring
fund’s investments in an emerging markets equity fund managed by Brunel some degree of stability, continuity, normality and fun through our weekly
Pension Partnership, Dorset’s investment pooling manager. The value of this evening meetings and occasional weekend activities
exposure is estimated to be approximately £5m or 0.13% of the pension fund’s Planning meetings have been held in each section, involving the youngsters, to
total assets of £3.8bn. work out activities for the coming term and beyond. Undaunted by Covid, some
really exciting activities are planned.
Letter to Michael Gove following a meeting between the
Leader and Officers of Dorset Council (about Planning) Cub Pack

I am grateful to you and your team for giving time on Monday to talk about The Cubs finished off last
Dorset’s bold vision for the future. We are an ambitious council that wants to help term with a fantastic talent
achieve growth and prosperity for our communities. In particular, we talked show. Magic tricks, table
about the planning challenges and your Chief Planner explained Government’s tennis skills, jokes, singing
future plans for planning reform. In my letter to you of 17 January, I set out our and dancing were just
ambition and flexibilities I am seeking and now that we have discussed the matter some of the talents on
further, feel that my proposals for Dorset sit well with your future plans for wider show. We sold tickets to
reform. Indeed, I offered for Dorset to be a pilot for such reforms, and I stand by friends and family to raise
that offer. money for a worthy cause
chosen by the Cubs. This
We would like to use that pilot to develop a Local Plan which would run to 2050 talent show earned
and including the new settlement or settlements for Dorset. As you know, we are the Cubs their Entertainment Badge to go with the Scientist and Swimmer Badges
already working with your officials and Homes England to review sites for a new that most achieved last term. This term we are focusing on the World Badge
settlement, and we have identified a number of potentially sustainable sites. We which will mean learning about different cultures around the world. We are going
have arranged a seminar with the Dorset Council Cabinet members and your to celebrate Chinese New Year with some cooking and the Indian Festival of
officials to be held on 23 March, where we will progress the work already started Colour with some chalk drawing. We are all very excited looking forward to our
and look in greater detail at these proposals. sleepover in the church in the half term.

However, in order to make a reality of this more ambitious approach, we need
some flexibility to our current Local Plan process. We are seeking an extension to
the timeframe of two years to May 2026 and freedoms and flexibilities from the five Scout Troop
-year local housing supply and delivery requirements. We know that this was The Scout section remains a brilliant weekly get together for young people from
something which was granted to Oxfordshire when they similarly were seeking to where they can get out of school/home-ed shackles for a couple of hours and do
develop a more ambitious growth plan. We have looked at the specific technical different stuff.
requirements of such a request and would be pleased to share this thinking with
your Chief Planning Officer as she develops her response following our meeting. The program this winter has been very varied with caving, cooking, geocaching,
wide games, Remembrance events, team building, Christmas fun, and, the one
The slightly longer timescale will enable us to fully embed the objectives set out in where the Scout Leader usually shows much more enthusiasm than the Scouts,

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