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October 2021 October 2021

hundred acres of grassland on Blackmoor Estate. The grassland had a cottage
located in it, which Old Bob’s younger brother George lived. George had been in DORSET COUNCIL- WEST PURBECK REPORT
the merchant navy and had travelled around the world and now worked on the
estate in charge of the woodlands. George had two teenage sons and Old Bob Bovington - Military Exercises
said that George should have sent his boys out to pull up these weeds. This
created some weird comments from the gang and I learnt afterwards that when 10 - 15 Oct
George had been told what his brother had suggested he went ballistic. Bovington Garrison will host a Military
However when I was managing the two and a half thousand acres of the Aviation Exercise from 10 – 15 Oct in
Wexford North Slobs in Ireland, there was an extensive area of grassland next to support of National Security Taskings. To
drainage waterways, where herbicides could not be used for environmental meet all Training Objectives up to 8
reasons and there was an abundance of ragwort. helicopters will operate daily between
approximately 0900-0200. The aircrew
There was a gang of some dozen women employees, who were employed for are required to achieve a number of
the grading and preparing potato and other vegetable crops for sale. They also night sorties, so flights will more than
were also used to pull wild oats in our cereal crops. Because of these experiences likely continue till 0200 from Monday
I felt that they could cope with the removal of ragwort from grassland that was to through to Thursday in order to achieve this. Aircraft routing around Bovington
be cut for hay. In one particular field I had left it rather late to have the ragwort Garrison has been planned to minimise disruption as far as possible and the
pulled and there was a mower working in the same field cutting the grass ready continued support of the local community is very much appreciated during this
to make into hay as the gang of ragwort pullers arrived. essential training.
Later that Day I sent a man with his tractor and trailer to collect the pulled If there are any major disruptions as a result of Military activity over these dates
ragwort. He returned very quickly, to tell me that the women had pulled the people are requested to call the Army’s Officer, Rich Jenkins (07793 727857) to log
ragwort but had laid it in piles on the grass that had been cut for hay. I have to their concerns.
admit that I didn’t know what to say but I can assure you it would not have been
suitable for this article if I had managed to say anything.
Citizens Advice
A further contract has also been awarded to Citizens Advice in Dorset (which is a
consortium of Purbeck, Bridport, Central Dorset and East Dorset Citizens Advice),
who provide information, advice and guidance on matters such as benefits, debt
and money, energy and fuel support and other welfare advice. This contract will
also start on 1 October 2021. We are very grateful for the work they do and will
continue to work closely with them where required.

Customer Access
Following our phased reopening of customer service points earlier this summer in
Blandford, Bridport, Dorchester, Wareham, Wimborne and Weymouth, here is an
Now it is the 12 of September and I can say we had our proper summer on update: We are seeing approximately 200 customers per week through our doors.
th
Monday the 6 of September, when the temperature climbed above 30 degrees We are resolving enquiries such as council tax payments; parking fines;
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centigrade, It only lasted for one day though and we are back into September homelessness and housing register enquiries; and requests for small bin containers.
weather now. The swallows must have known about the change to come and we Our council colleagues and partners (e.g., Citizens Advice) have been working
saw them in huge numbers collecting on the electricity cables that pass over our with us on more complex enquiries that cannot be resolved at ‘first point of
garden. Normally they stay for several days, increasing in number daily but this contact’ and require the help of a specialist officer e.g.: housing. We continue to
year, one day and they were off. I wonder if they know something we don’t. encourage customers to self-serve online or use the telephone whenever possible.

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