The Chairman of East Dorset District Council

Following the Annual Council Meeting of Monday, 14 May 2018, Councillor Mrs Toni Coombs was elected Chairman of East Dorset for 2018/19.

About Councillor Mrs Toni Coombs

Cllr Toni Coombs was first elected to East Dorset District Council in May 1999, and she succeeds Cllr Derek Burt who has held the position for the past year.

Toni, whose grandparents were from Dorset, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand but returned to England with her family at the age of six. She attended grammar school in Tonbridge and then trained as a renal technician at Guys Hospital and became one of the first female technicians in the country.

In 1991 she moved to Verwood and had two children, Matt and Nick. She retrained as a photographer recently and specialises in portraiture and local landscapes.

Cllr Toni Coombs has been Chair of Ethical Governance Committee and Vice-Chair of Planning at East Dorset District Council. She was also elected to Dorset County Council in 2001 and was Cabinet Member for Children from 2005-2015.

The Chairman's charities for the year

The nominated charities this year are Macmillan Cancer Support and Mosaic Family Support.

Vice-Chairman

Councillor Barry Goringe is the Vice-Chairman of East Dorset District Council.