Please see below for news about what I have been up to in the last 3 weeks at Mendip District Council, news about the developments at Stonebridge (Forest Road shops) and Bath Road Heights, and news of Fusion’s take over of Frome Leisure Centre and how the Showfield deal is progressing. Also links to news about Sgt Clark’s charity coach pull, other local news, Frome Town Council news, and tributes to Charles Kennedy, former Lib Dem party leader, who sadly died this week.

My Council diary

Over the last few weeks:

• I attended Mendip’s first Full Council meeting since the election (Monday 18^th May). The council chose its Leader (Harvey Siggs, again), Cabinet (no change), and members of most of the committees – please see here for who is in charge: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/4183/New-roles-and-responsibilities-for-Mendips-councillors. Frome ward councillors are members of the following committees: Damon Hooton (LD), Mike Rideout (Con) and Stine Falle (Green) are on the Planning Board. Damon is again the Chair of Scrutiny Board, and Eve Berry (Con) and Shane Collins (Green) are also members. The membership of Corporate Assets Management Group (CAMG) is still to be decided. Alvin Horsfall (LD) and Des Harris (Green) are on Audit Committee. Helen Sprawson-White (LD) and Jo Beale (Con) are on the Licensing Board. Some new portfolios have been created – Health & Wellbeing, Economic Development, and Transformation, and we wait to see what it all means.
• I raised the issue of the need for Mendip to engage better directly in Frome and elsewhere by starting up community meetings once again, with the Chief Executive, as the Constitution still requires this. Discussions are ongoing on this between the leaders of the Conservatives and Lib Dems at Mendip, and I await the outcome.
• I attended the Planning Training session at Mendip District Council on 20^th May, with other councillors. This was a briefing from officers on how the town & country planning system and decision-making works at Mendip. Most of the system works well enough. But I raised the problem that I and other councillors have had, that parish councils and ward councillors can both ask for a planning application to be referred to the Planning Board for a decision by councillors, but their request can be turned down by the Chair and Vice-Chair of Planning Board (including for the reason of keeping the Planning Board’s workload down) who do not even need to give reasons. The issues were discussed and many councillors agreed, this needs to be addressed.
• I attended the first Frome Town Council full council meeting since the election (20^th May). The new Mayor of Frome (Kate Bielby) and Deputy Mayor (Ali Barclay) were chosen, and the outgoing mayor Peter Macfadyen thanked everyone for their work over the last year – see http://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/new-mayor-of-frome-elected/. I gave an update at the start of the meeting, about Fusion taking over the Leisure Centre in June, and the progress on the Showfield (see below). Every councillor spoke of the need to work together for the good of Frome, which was nice. I also sat next to and had a quick chat with our new MP David Warburton (Conservative), and I hope to talk to him a lot more in future.
• I attended a meeting of the Mendip District Council Leisure Partnership Board (21^st May) with other MDC councillors and officers, and Fusion Lifestyle. I also had a follow-up detailed discussion with Fusion on their future plans for improving Frome Leisure Centre and arrangements with sports clubs. See more on this issue below.
• I met other Lib Dem councillors and supporters at the New Members Meeting (27^th May). We heard from new and not-so-new members on why they are in the Lib Dems and what we need to do to serve local people better. It was very good to see some good new people, including some familiar faces!
• I attended a meeting of the Three Tiers of Elected Representatives for Frome (3^rd June) – nearly all the Frome Town, Mendip District and Somerset Councillors turned up (including 13 IFF, 3 Lib Dem, 4 Conservatives and 3 Green councillors). Over 2 hours we identified our main priorities for Frome over the next few years, and agreed to work together cooperatively on a range of issues. It was a really good evening, and it was just great to see people who can disagree politically can also just get on with each other and talk constructively. I hope to see this make a real difference to Frome in the next 4 years.
• In the next few weeks: I will attend a meeting at Mendip of Frome ward councillors, more Planning training at Mendip (I aim to be a substitute on Planning Board), a Lib Dem MDC councillor meeting (to decide who does what), and we will see who makes Assets-related decisions at Mendip. I also hope to be at the Packsaddle Big Lunch on Sunday!

Stonebridge development to start soon

Tesco Express closed yesterday (4^th June) for 7 months and will reopen as a larger store in January 2016. All the other shops and half the car park will remain open. Construction of the expanded Tesco and a new shop, with 3 flats above, should start on 16^th June. I have asked to meet the construction site manager before work starts, to discuss and ask for disruption to be minimised. I await to hear whether the cashpoint will remain open, and about a community noticeboard for the area. For more background on this please see http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/2015/01/08/revised-development-plans-for-stonebridge-approved/

New planning application for Bath Road Heights: After the Planning Inspector refused permission for 8 new houses at Bath Road Heights, I asked Latona to come back to Mendip with a revised planning application that protects the large trees and which would be acceptable to Mendip planners. I heard recently that Latona are now having pre-application discussions on a new planning application. I hope the discussions go well and that we see a new planning application soon. If they get it right, a new scheme is likely to be granted permission quickly, and this eyesore site can be developed soon. For more on this please see http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/2015/01/09/planning-appeal-submitted-for-8-houses-at-bath-road-heights/

Fromefield Co-op: I am not aware of any complaints or problems with the construction site, but please let me know if any problems arise.

For other previous news on planning and development please see http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/2015/04/22/improving-planning-and-development/

Showfield update:

Somerset County Council have recently withdrawn the Village Green application (submitted by FROGS in 2011) as there were no objections. Legal teams for Frome Town Council, Frome & District Agricultural Society and Mendip District Council are now finalising the legal agreements to progress the sale and transfer of the old Showfield to Frome Town Council. This will enable improvements to site management and the improvements plan (using nearly £40,000 funding from Frome Medical Centre) and enable FTC to involve local residents much better in managing and enhancing the site in future. Currently Mendip’s contractors plan to cut the grass for the first time this year at the end of June. The background to this is here: http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/2015/04/22/conserving-and-improving-the-old-showfield/#page-content.

Leisure Centre update:

I recently attended a meeting of Mendip District Council’s Leisure Partnership Board, and had an update from MDC and Fusion on their plans to invest £2million in Frome Leisure Centre, and their discussions with some of the sports clubs about future arrangements. I then had a more in depth discussion with Fusion about Frome Leisure Centre. Fusion took over the leisure centres on 1^st June. I welcome Fusion’s commitment to improve and modernise Frome Leisure Centre, and to working with the sports clubs in a cooperative manner. Fusion will be talking to Frome Town Councillors, and Mendip District Councillors later in June, and will be making a public announcement about their plans to improve the Leisure Centre soon after. I am asking for a public meeting to be arranged, and for public consultation to be a two-way conversation. I asked Fusion to work constructively with sports clubs to maintain and improve participation, and they have assured me that they will. I am also pushing for Fusion to work with the Town Council and other organisations in Frome to improve sports facilities in a wider sense. Please see here for more: http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/2015/05/22/leisure-centre-update/#page-content

Local policewoman pulls 14 tonne coach around Stonebridge:

Local police Sergeant Rachel Clark and her family successfully pulled a 14 tonne coach around Stonebridge last Sunday! This is to raise money for Positive Action on Cancer (PAC) in memory of her mother Shirley Wiggins who sadly died of leukemia in 2011. Please see here for the full story and here for how to donate to PAC.

Speed monitoring due at Bath Road:

After complaints from local residents about the speed of traffic on Bath Road and the danger at the junction with Gypsy Lane and Cuckoo Lane, and with the help of County Councillor Linda Oliver, I asked Frome Town Council to request that traffic speeds on Bath Road, coming into Frome past the College, are monitored by Somerset County Council, and they agreed to do so in the next few months. Then we will see if people are driving into Frome in this area too fast, and if so, what can be done to slow traffic down to safer speeds. I will keep you informed of progress.

Friends of Frome Hospital stall in town:

The Friends of Frome Community Hospital will be highlighting their community programme with a special display outside the Ellenbray Toy Shop in the Westway Shopping Precinct on Saturday, June 6 – see here for details.

Footpath closed after horse attack:

An emergency closure has been placed on a public footpath near Frome after a pensioner was attacked by a horse in a field in Spring Gardens. See here for the story. Be careful out there…

Frome Town Council news:

Please see here http://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/news/ for news of:

• Volunteering Week (this week!)
• Free Tennis sessions on Sunday June 14^th at Frome Selwood Tennis Club.
• Skills training in sustainability, social sciences or landscape management.
• The Community Toilet
• Electric Bike
• new Town Maps.
• The new Mayor of Frome.
• Temporary closure of Palmer Street for resurfacing, for 4 weeks (July/August).
• Celebrating £1.74 million funding support for the rural economy, including Frome, from the Rural Development Programme for England: the Heart of Wessex Local Action Group are launching their investment programme at the Cheese & Grain on Weds 17 June.
• Train disruption during July and August.
• The new Share Shop in town (and how you can help).

Frome Town Council have an extra meeting on Monday 10th June (see http://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/meeting/extra-ordinary-full-council/) and will decide how to organise meetings and panels (which will involve local residents as well as councillors in a series of issues including leisure/sport, health and poverty, the Town Centre / Saxonvale, and keeping Frome clean) in future. They will also talk about Saxonvale, and the Dippy open space.

Mendip District Council news:

There is just news of Fusion taking over the Leisure Centres in Mendip this month, at http://www.mendip.gov.uk/news.

Mendip’s Cabinet meets on Monday 15th June. On the agenda is the budget, the Market stall erection service, the future of discretionary housing benefit payments, Please see here for details: MDC Cabinet 15 June 2015.

Lib Dem news:

This week there was very sad news about the death of former party leader Charles Kennedy. Personally I found him a big inspiration, for his principles, and also his style, as he could be passionate and persuasive in his political views, and also respectful of others who did not agree, and was very popular, for being a normal human being. Tributes to Charles and a Book of Condolence, which anyone can sign, can be found here http://www.libdems.org.uk/charles-kennedy.

Action for human rights, and to save the Human Rights Act, can also be found here – http://www.libdems.org.uk/human-rights-debate-welsh-lib-dems

 

Please also see my website, which I keep updated – http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/.

If there is anything I need to know about or be doing, please let me know.

 

Adam Boyden

Mendip District Councillor for Frome College ward (Liberal Democrat)

07809 284817

http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk

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