Dear all, As one of the councillors for Frome College ward on Mendip District Council, I want to keep you up to date, so please see below for my latest news on local issues: Community orchard proposed at the Old Showfield Planning application for 96 homes at Packsaddle Way has been withdrawn Packsaddle parks in […]

Dear All,  please see below a roundup of news from the ward and local area, and updates on what your councils are doing. This has taken some time, so apologies it has been a long time since the last one. Old Showfield improvements to continue Frome Town Council is planning further improvements to the Old […]

Dear All,   A quick update – and some questions at the end for you –   Referendum approves Frome’s Neighbourhood Plan: Yesterday the people of Frome voted to back proposals for a new Neighbourhood Plan, with 86% voting in favour and 14% against. A total of 3,631 people voted – a turnout of 17.9% […]

Dear All,  I hope you find this update on news for Frome College ward, Frome, Mendip and the wider world useful. Please get in touch if you have any issues you need help with. A quick update on news for Frome College ward and surrounding areas in Frome, Mendip and Somerset. How can I help? […]

Dear All, A quick update for you on news for Frome College ward, Frome and Mendip. I hope you find it useful. How can I help? Please get in touch if you have any issues you need help with. Frome Leisure Centre to reopen on 1st June: Fusion have now announced that the revamped Frome […]

Please see below my newsletter for Frome College ward, Frome and Mendip. I hope you find it useful. How can I help? Please get in touch if you have any issues you need help with. Leisure Centre reopening delayed: As a member of Mendip District Council’s Leisure Strategic Board, last week I had a tour […]

Please see news out today of action on flytipping at Gypsy Lane – http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/4566/Mendip-cracks-down-on-fly-tippers Mendip district council is to renew its efforts to identify offenders and reduce the number of fly-tipping incidents in the Gypsy Lane/Dark Lane area. The council’s press release says “The first step is to introduce an 18-month temporary road closure of […]

Supporting Recycling … After Somerset County Council closed Household Waste Recycling Centres 2½ days a week and brought in new charges in 2011, flytipping increased by 50% across the county. Mendip Lib Dems demanded Mendip to take action in 2012 but we were voted down by the ruling Conservatives. But eventually they gave in and […]

The Stonebridge community litter pick on Saturday 21st March was a great success. Over twenty volunteers took part including a number of younger members of our community. They all worked enthusiastically for an hour making a significant difference to the area.  Most of the rubbish we collected was in the bushes and brambles next to paths, open spaces and in the stream.  […]

The next Full Council meeting of Mendip District Council is this Thursday 2nd October at the newly rebuilt Council Chamber in Shepton Mallet – see here for the agenda which includes agreeing the members of the reduced 15-member Planning Board, new rules for allowing members of the public to record council meetings, a treasury management […]

Last week’s Frome Standard carried a letter from Mr Alan Townsend (who criticised cllr Derek Tanswell (Lib Dem, Frome Market ward) for his letter the week before). My response this week is below: “Dear Editor In response to Alan Townsend’s letter last week, I have to say that cllr Tanswell is not at all to […]

To keep local residents informed about the flytipping issue on Gypsy Lane, I sent the following email to those who attended or took an interest in the meeting earlier this week. I will keep residents informed if there is any progress in future. My previous note of the meeting can be found here. “Thank you […]

Thanks to everyone who came to or helped with the first ever public meeting dedicated to the problem of flytipping on and around Gypsy Lane just outside Frome. I arranged this with fellow Mendip district councillor Peter Knibbs, Mendip’s Enforcement Officer Ian Glover and the local Police (Sgt Clark) as this has been a growing […]

For the first time ever a public meeting has been held about the problem of flytipping on and around Gypsy Lane, which has been getting worse for 20 years. I arranged the meeting which was held yesterday evening, with fellow Mendip district councillor Peter Knibbs (Con, Beckington & Selwood), Mendip District Council’s enforcement officer (Ian […]

Press release In response to continued complaints from local residents about the ongoing serious flytipping on Gypsy Lane and Berkley Lane, which has gone on for years just outside Frome, local district councillors Adam Boyden and Peter Knibbs have organised a public meeting on the issue. The meeting is on Monday 28th April, at 7.00 […]

Fed up with the flytipping on Gypsy Lane?  I am working with another local councillor, Peter Knibbs, to arrange a public meeting for local residents to ask questions, raise concerns and hear from Mendip District Council, the Police and other authorities, about how we can work together to tackle the horrendous flytipping on Gypsy Lane […]

I have been working on a few things recently, in response to local residents concerns, which you have told me about on the doorstep, on the phone and by email: Flytipping on Gypsy Lane – Public Meeting to be held: Yesterday Mendip District Council’s Enforcement officers agreed to my suggestion to hold a public meeting […]

There is no such thing as the Dog Poo Fairy! I recently obtained some posters from a proactive local resident which say ‘There is no such thing as the dog poo fairy’ (from Keep Britain Tidy). I recently gained agreement from Mendip District Council officers to put them up, so I will be laminating and […]

Yesterday Mendip District Council’s Enforcement officers agreed to my suggestion to hold a public meeting with local residents to try and stamp out flytipping around Frome. Mendip District Council officers gave councillors a briefing on how they are tackling flytipping and other environmental crime.  There have been some successes across Mendip in bringing cases and […]

I was pleased to hear that the recent Great Frome Clean Up litter picks, at 7 locations around Frome, including Stonebridge, organised by HopeFrome and Friends of the River Frome, were a real success. I help publicise these events and encourage people to attend, and I help out when I can. Please get in touch […]