Since being elected to Somerset I have been to many council meetings and briefings both locally and in Taunton and at Mendip.

At Somerset County Council we’ve had briefings in person and online on being a councillor, council meetings, finance and governance, Local Government Reorganisation, the code of conduct, the Scrutiny process, economic and community infrastructure, childrens services, adult social care, safeguarding adults and children, corporate parenting, public health, education, digital communications and workforce, democratic services, and specific training for the Environment Scrutiny Committee and Regulation Committee.

In late May I went to most of the latest meeting of the ‘pilot’ Local Community Network (LCN) for the Frome Area, hosted by Frome Town Council, which reported on their work on services for children, young people and families. Work is going on behind the scenes at SCC to draft up workable proposals for the LCNs which will be the local committees of the new unitary council from April, and ideas will be subject to consultation in the coming months. The next pilot Frome Area LCN meeting is on 3rd August, and all parish councils are invited.

Also in May I talked to Mendip’s Environmental Health officers about the results of the residents survey into the fly nuisance around Frome sewage works, and sent the report of a residents survey to both MDC and Wessex Water. This week Wessex Water are hosting a meeting to update us on the results of the netting trial and their plans to tackle the fly nuisance further (see here).

As a county councillor it is also now my job now to raise road safety issues with officers and encourage them to exert themselves, either in the councillor-led Small Improvement Scheme (SIS) process or officer-led safety schemes, or operational management work, working with parish/town councils and Community Speedwatch (CSW) teams and taking soundings from local residents. I have recently had CSW training on Bath Road to join the local team (see below).

In late June I (*and fellow Frome North county councillor Dawn Denton) met the Community Speed Watch team on site in Farleigh Hungerford. We agreed to take forward the issues of a fixed speed camera on the A366 and reducing the speed limit on Tellisford Road with SCC Highways, and to look into a number of other local issues with the parish and district councillor. I also discussed the speeding issue with a couple of concerned local residents there.

I introduced myself as county councillor properly at the June meetings of Norton St Philip*, Beckington*, and Berkley Parish Councils, and have contacted the chairs of Tellisford and Lullington parish meetings (and await any news of their meetings). I also went to see the Beckington Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) consultation day. This work will hopefully lead to a plan of potential improvements for walking and cycling routes, which I hope to support.

We* are also going to meet with Norton St Philip parish councillors (and the NSP CSW lead) in the next few weeks to be briefed on and discuss their previous Traffic Day and speeding issues and priorities in the village, and will then take the issues arising across our area up with SCC Highways officers, along with highways issues in all other parts of the division. 

A key issue in Berkley parish is the proposed pedestrianisation order for Berkley Lane and Dark Lane (see here), which as a county councillor I* now have a Mendip DC-led working group briefing on. As there are some local objections which cannot be resolved, we expect either a public inquiry or it could be dealt with by written reps. The pedestrianisation order in the Town & Country Planning Act was my initial idea which survived legal review and was agreed at the working group, the initial consultation and MDC full council meetings, so we will see if the Government inspector agrees after hearing the objections.   

The new residential area of Edmund Park, behind Asda on the Warminster Road entrance to Frome has a site allocated for a primary school which has not been developed, and as this is of interest to both Frome and Berkley, I had a look round the estate in May with local resident John Corfield who with his wife keeps residents updated with local newsletters. My update made the July newsletter on page 4 here. SCC have recently triggered the transfer of the school site at Edmund Park, but cannot yet make the official case to the Department for Education to commission a new school there yet due to the numbers of projected pupils being insufficient. Pupil numbers are under review, and the potential for a school here (and whether Berkley School can move and expand here in future) will be subject to further reviews and discussions.

The July meeting of Rode Parish Council discussed local planning applications, planning enforcement cases, tree management, ultra-fast broadband, bus services, the LCN arrangements, and the future unitary council, I* talked about the discussions with SCC Highways about the need for further safety improvements at the Rode Hill/Bradford Road junction, as the parish council is still concerned about this. I saw the aftermath of a road accident there a few weeks ago, then the following week there was another, witnessed by a Rode parish councillor. A review is now being done and a scheme of safety improvements is being drawn up by SCC officers to finish the previous SIS, including high friction surfacing (parish councillors requested rumble strips) and two vehicle-activated signs to warn drivers of the junction ahead and to slow down, on which the parish council will be consulted. The Stop sign also needs replacing on the northbound Bradford Road direction. We are also chasing Rode’s village-wide 20 mph speed limit and ‘village gateway’ signs.

I (and Dawn) have also met SCC officers and Frome College on the emerging ‘schools 20’ signs proposal, which will see flashing signs asking drivers around Frome College to slow down to 20mph during pupil rush hours, and we hope a proposal can be agreed and implemented for Autumn term.

The new Frome Town Council‘s delayed first full council meeting was last Wednesday (see here), and I was there for part, including a session and group working on the cost of living crisis, and to move forward with the refurbishment of the Victoria Park toilets (proposed in 2017, and which will include a Changing Places facility). It’s also been good to talk to some of the new town councillors whenever I meet them.

Meetings attended:

• 10th May: Somerset County Council – initial briefings from senior SCC officers and introduction to new councillors, County Hall, Taunton.
• 11th May: Mendip District Council Planning Board, Shepton Mallet (see here).
• 12th May: Meeting with MDC Environmental Health team about fly nuisance (online)
• 13th May: Somerset County Council IT induction, Taunton.
• 16th May: MDC Cabinet (online, in part)
• 17th May: MDC Scrutiny Board (online) including a presentation by Fusion Lifestyle with an annual report on operations and improvements at MDC’s leisure centres (see here)
• 23rd May: 10am: meeting with Frome Town Council leadership team.
  6.30pm: MDC Full Council, Shepton Mallet (see here), including to decide on committee and board memberships, a petition on Easthill, and a motion on the cost of living crisis.
• 24th May: meeting at Edmund Park school site with local resident.
• 25th May: 10am: Somerset County Council, Full Council meeting, near Bridgwater (see here), including election of Leader and committee and internal appointments.
• 25th May: 7pm: Frome Area pilot Local Community Network meeting, Frome Town Hall (part).
• 26th May: Berkley Parish Council (part).
• 7th June: Frome Councillors Forum (online).
• 8th June: Norton St Philip Parish Council meeting.
• 10th June: SCC Environment Scrutiny Committee informal briefing.
• 10th June: MDC/SCC Berkley pedestrianisation update briefing.
• 14th June: Beckington Parish Council meeting (see here).
• 15th June: 10am: SCC Extraordinary Full Council (online, see here), which agreed the salary band and conditions for the next Chief Executive.
  3pm: Beckington Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan consultation day.
  6pm: MDC Planning Board (online, see here).
• 18th June: FTC’s Green Breather Day with SCC Executive member and other MDC councillors.
• 20th June: Meeting with Farleigh Hungerford Community Speedwatch.
  5.30pm MDC Extraordinary Full Council (online, see here) about local government reorganisation.
• 21st June: MDC Scrutiny Climate and Ecological working group.
• 22nd June: Somerset Joint Waste Scrutiny Panel (here).
• 24th June: SCC Environment Scrutiny Committee informal meeting, County Hall, Taunton.
• 28th June: MDC Pride ceremony.
• 4th July: Frome Community Speedwatch roadside training.
• 7th July: Bert Jansch Studio opening, Frome Cheese & Grain.
• 11th July: SCC Executive (online, see here), including adoption of the Children & Young People’s Plan (here).
• 12th July: Rode Parish Council (see here).
• 13th July: Frome Town Council (here).
• 18th July: MDC/SCC Local Government Reorganisation briefing (online).

Upcoming meetings include:

• 19th July: MDC Scrutiny Climate and Ecological working group, including update on Carbon Management Plan, and planning guidance.
• 20th July am: SCC Full Council meeting, Yeovil (see here), including motions on ecology, the cost of living, and Local Community Networkss.
• 20th July pm: MDC Planning Board (see here) including consideration of the revised Commerce Park application (item 7 here).
• 21st July: Meeting with Wessex Water about fly nuisance around Frome sewage works (see here).
• 21st July, 7pm: Frome Town Council Planning Committee (see here)
• 26th July: Frome Councillors Forum
• 3rd August: Frome Area pilot Local Community Network, at Frome Town Council.

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