Adam Boyden

I have been busy recently tackling graffiti at and around the shops on Forest Road, Stonebridge. Below is the content of my letters to Frome Times and the Somerset Standard to be published on 22 and 24 May 2012.  Some useful phone numbers and websites are listed below so that people can take action when any new graffiti appears. Letter:  “Dear Sirs, I and other local residents have noticed an upsurge in graffiti recently, on and around shops at Forest Road, Stonebridge, in the car park, on shop walls, on phone and utility boxes and the large electricity switching station.  Utility boxes are also a common target around Frome.  ... More

On Monday 2nd April 2012, Mendip District Council’s Cabinet endorsed a revised plan to improve Frome’s twice-weekly market, which Lib Dems in Frome and Mendip welcome as we have worked on the proposals with Mendip’s Conservative-run and Frome’s independent-run councils. This is now proceeding towards reality on the ground, with a target start in May / June. My letters welcoming the plans, written jointly with other named councillors, to Frome Times and Somerset Standard, were published in the week commencing 9 April 2012: “Dear Sir, Last Monday, Mendip District Council’s Cabinet endorsed a new approach to revitilising and expanding Frome’s twice-weekly market. As members of the project Steering Group ... More

On Monday 2nd April 2012, Mendip District Council’s Cabinet endorsed a revised plan to improve Frome’s twice-weekly market, which Lib Dems in Frome and Mendip welcome as we have worked on the proposals with Mendip’s Conservative-run and Frome’s independent-run councils.  See here for Cabinet agenda reports: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/CommitteeMeeting.asp?id=SX9452-A78369E7&cat=1 My statement to the Cabinet meeting is below: Statement to Mendip District Council’s Cabinet (2nd April 2012) on Agenda Item 09: Frome Market: We think this is a really good proposal now.  We welcome the proposed ‘Plan B’ to expand the market in its current locations and to spread market stalls through town, which will make the market ... More

ALDC Briefing:  The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been published [on Tuesday 27 March 2012], with significant amendments negotiated by the Liberal Democrats in Government since the Draft NPPF was released for consultation last July.  Here, we outline some of the major changes made to the NPPF since its controversial Draft version:   The controversial default ‘yes to development’ is no longer part of the Framework. This addresses a number of concerns that the NPPF as drafted may have led to a rash of quickly implemented, unsustainable development.   The section on protecting the High Street has been strengthened, with a clear sequential test for ... More

I was pleased to see this newspaper cover the Mendip District Council meeting which discussed budgets and medium term resource strategy, in the last issue. I and other Lib Dem councillors in Frome would like to challenge the statement made by Cllr Stephen Priscott, in which he is quoted, at the end of your piece, as saying that Lib Dem councillors did not indicate where the money we proposed for an arts strategy (£50,000) would come from, and that he would have to raise Council Tax by 1% to accommodate our proposal.  Both these points are highly misleading.   Cllr Richard Pinnock stated in his speech ... More

I was disappointed to witness the decisions by Mendip’s Conservatives to reject the sensible proposals by Lib Dem councillors (mainly from Frome) that would have allocated more Government money to local projects and restored some Council funding to the arts,  at Mendips’ recent Full Council meeting, the same meeting that discussed the Council Tax for this year.  We welcomed the move by Mendip to avoid increasing its Council Tax this year, and to avoid any redundancies of hard working officers this year.  The amendments we proposed were to Mendip’s medium term resource strategy, which identifies how the Government’s New Homes Bonus windfall fund will be divided in ... More

Amendments made by Frome Councillors to the Mendip District Council Budget for the coming year were voted down last week [meeting on 16 February 2012], by the Conservative majority in Shepton Mallet. Calls from the Liberal Democrats to work with local businesses to create apprenticeships, as well as reintroducing a small amount of funding for the Arts were among proposals brushed aside by the Conservative Administration in what became a very heated meeting.  The amendments, presented by Cllr Richard Pinnock (Frome, Keyford) included measures to tackle youth unemployment and rural isolation as well as a scheme involving renewable energies to help the ... More

Last autumn I was contacted by a local resident about the ‘over the top’ boarding up of a house off Forest Road, no. 3 Chestnut Close. Along with the poor state of its back garden and fencing, this does nothing for the appearance of the neighbourhood.  Since then, I have been in touch with Mendip District Council officers and other councillors, and Lambeth’s officers and councillors many times on this issue, to try and ensure that the house is re-occupied as soon as possible.  To update local residents I have written a letter to people living in the surrounding streets, and there is an article in this ... More

I think this is great news for Frome – we have the impetus for a partnership of district and town council, and for local investment in the market, to expand the market to make Frome town centre an even better place to shop and visit. We now have a period ahead in which the councils will assess the available feasible options in full consultation with the people and traders of Frome.  The ‘on the ground’ consultation starts next week, and a website and online survey should follow on www.mendip.gov.uk and http://www.frome-tc.gov.uk/soon.  See Frome Times also – http://www.frometimes.co.uk/blog/?p=1407 and Somerset Standard for ... More

… On Monday night 30 January, Mendip’s Cabinet were therefore presented with an ‘Updating’ paper which asked for a different decision, and which stated: “The relocation of the existing stall market to the Market Place is one of the principal options of the development project; however, alternative solutions and alternative locations will be given full consideration. It is believed that the relocated market and, if implemented, the associated road closure would raise the market’s visibility and create an improved shopping environment and enhanced atmosphere in which the market is staged. However, the road closure is not the only option available to facilitiate ... More