Somerset Council’s Executive has this week set out the actions it proposes to take in response to soaring costs and demands on services. The latest budget figures show Somerset Council is facing a funding gap of £100m for 2024/25 due in large part to an expected increase of £70m in the cost of adult social […]

Residents Survey: How satisfied are you with our area? What are your priorities? Please let me know by completing my Residents Survey. I want to hear from everyone, it will only take 5 minutes, and I will publish the results, keeping individual responses completely confidential. Saxonvale planning permission quashed: In quite big news, Acorn Property Group’s […]

Acorn Property Group’s outline planning permission for a mixed use development (including 300 homes) at the Saxonvale site in Frome has been quashed in the High Court. The Judicial Review of the Acorn permission was brought by Damon Moore, one of the Directors of Mayday Saxonvale, in relation to the Council’s interpretation of what Mendip’s […]

Article published in the Frome Times, Thursday 12th October 2023, p24: As Oscar Wilde probably didn’t say, the problem with liberal democracy is it can take too many evenings. But it is important. Last week, at the Prosper Frome meeting I was happy to offer support to the potential for a OneBanx kiosk in Frome, […]

How satisfied are you with things in our area? What are your priorities? How can we improve things? Please let me know by completing my Residents Survey. Thank you, Adam Boyden, Somerset Councillor for Frome North (Lib Dem) Please take the survey here. It should only take 5 minutes of your time: Questions include: Please take […]

My article submitted to The Link, The magazine for Rode, Tellisford, Woolverton and Farleigh Hungerford, part of Hardington Vale, for October 2023, is below: There have been a few issues in Rode recently worth mentioning. Earlier this year I objected to Butcombe Brewery’s licensing application for the Mill at Rode, along with over 50 residents, […]

Update: The delayed public local inquiry into Somerset Council’s proposal to extinguish vehicular rights along Dark Lane and a section of Berkley Lane to the north of Frome will now be held on 9 – 11 April 2024 from 10am at Somerset Council’s offices at Cannards Grave, Shepton Mallet. The proposal, previously by Mendip District […]

Have you been disturbed by loud noise from quarry train engines idling at the freight railway line traffic lights, next to Lower Innox and Mill Close? Has this noise woken you up, or stopped you getting to sleep at night, especially if you have windows open at night? I have been contacted by some local […]

Education education education: Somerset Council’s Children and Families Scrutiny Committee meeting on 13th September included a presentation on the potential for a reorganisation of schools in the Frome area into a two tier system, at item 7 Education Modelling in Frome – Next Steps – see here. This has been covered in local news here. There are potential […]

Train operators have proposed changes to, and closures of, the majority of rail station ticket offices in England. As part of the consultation Transport Focus wants to hear your views to understand how the changes will impact you. Great Western Railway manages the Frome station and is proposing to close the ticket office between October 2023 […]

New MP for Somerton & Frome: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat) was elected as our new MP for Somerton & Frome in the by-election on 20th July, with 55% of the vote – see here (Somerset Council), here (BBC) and https://www.sarahdyke.uk/. Sarah’s new email is sarah.dyke.mp@parliament.uk, or you can contact her by post to House of […]

Somerset bin strike is called off: Somerset Council announced on 18th July (see here) the good news that that the proposed industrial action by Somerset waste and recycling collection crews has been called off. This follows a positive response to a Unite ballot to members on an improved pay offer from SUEZ, the Council’s collections […]

A few things this month: Waste and recycling strike action suspended:  Somerset Council can confirm that strike action, which was planned to start on Wednesday 12th July for four weeks by waste collection crews employed by Somerset Council’s contractor Suez, has been suspended. Residents are asked to put out refuse, recycling and garden waste as […]

The big news at the weekend was that the former Conservative MP for Somerton & Frome has resigned (see here), so there will be a by-election here on 20th July to elect our new Member of Parliament. Sarah Dyke is the Liberal Democrat candidate, a Somerset Councillor and Executive member for Environment and Climate Change […]

A full planning application for the ‘Erection of 74 dwellings, 1 no. children with disabilities home, including means of access, drainage, landscaping and associated works’ at Somerset Council owned land at Packsaddle Way, Frome, has been submitted by LiveWest – please see see here. To comment on the planning application please see the Council’s planning […]

A mid/late May update is below, including items included in my reports to the Town and Parish Councils this month after my main May update: Waste collections next week: Don’t forget that waste and recycling collections will be delayed by a day next week due to Spring Bank Holiday Monday – see here. Packsaddle planning application: […]

Local Community Networks (LCNs) will be the focus for Somerset Council’s community engagement. They will be a conduit for sharing information with communities on the areas, topics, decision making that affect our daily lives. There are 18 LCNs being established across the County. LCNs will help Somerset Council understand evidence-based community priorities. They will bring partners and […]

There’s quite alot going on here at the moment so please bear with me: Bank Holiday bin collections: The week after the King’s coronation, there will be changes to our refuse and recycling collection days: No collections on Bank Holiday Monday, 8 May. Collections will be one day later for the rest of that week […]

Renewable energy developers ‘Low Carbon’ have started a public consultation into their emerging plans for a solar farm development, with battery storage, on 69 hectares of farmland adjacent to the A361, Bradford Road and Rode Hill to the east of Rode. The development would have the capacity to generate approximately 49.9 Megawatts (‘MW’) of renewable […]

Plans have been submitted for the development of 18 new low-carbon affordable homes on an apparently underused part of Somerset Council’s North Parade car park, comprising 9 houses and 9 flats. The scheme was initiated by Mendip District Council as part of the first social and affordable housing programme by a local council here for […]