Councillor Derek Burt third time chairman of East Dorset District Council

Cllr Derek Burt, the new chairman of East Dorset District Council was sworn in at the annual meeting held at the Allendale Community Centre on 15 May and will be supported by his wife Janet. It will be his third term as chairman as he previously held office in 1977-79 and in 2011-12.

Born in the Victoria Cottage Hospital in Wimborne, he attended Wimborne Boys School and then Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in King Street, Wimborne.

Following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps he joined the Wimborne and Cranborne Rural District Council in 1966. In 1974, the council joined with Wimborne Urban Council to form Wimborne District Council which, in 1988 changed its name to East Dorset District Council.

Cllr Burt represents Corfe Mullen and outside of his commitments to the council, he has been chairman of East Dorset Heritage Trust for nearly 30 years, president of the Priest’s House Museum for the past 22 years and is a vice-president of the Wimborne MovieMakers. Cllr Burt served as a governor on several local schools and he has maintained, since being a Boy Scout, a keen interest in the Scouting movement and has been chairman of the East Dorset Scout District Council for many years.

On being chosen as chairman, Cllr Burt said, “It is a great privilege to be elected as the chairman of East Dorset District Council for the third time and I look forward to representing the authority within the local community and across the county of Dorset.

“During the forthcoming year, I hope to raise funds for my chosen charities of Julia’s House, the children’s hospice which is in Corfe Mullen and the Poole based charity About Face which supports people who have been diagnosed with cancer of the head and neck.”

Cllr Mrs Toni Coombs was elected to serve as deputy chairman.