27 February 2018
Frome's Green councillors discussed getting a fair deal for Frome, 'connecting up' the levels of local government and campaigning on green issues at last Thursday's public meeting, 'Connected Frome', held at the Youth & Community centre, and chaired by Mayor of Frome Sheila Gore.
The purpose of the meeting was to feedback on councillor activity since last year's county council elections saw John Clarke and Martin Dimery elected as Somerset's first county councillors, and to get local people's views on the most important issues for them.
John Clarke (Frome West) opened the meeting by reporting that a motion for the county council to end the use of single use plastics in county facilities has passed unanimously. This was achieved by Greens working collaboratively with other parties, including Conservatives who co-proposed the motion. The tide is clearly turning against single use plastics, with all three councils in this area: Frome Town, Mendip District and now Somerset County, as well as Glastonbury council and others, voting to drop their use.
Cllr Clarke also spoke about residents' concerns about parking and dangerous traffic in Frome. A scheme to introduce traffic calming in Marston Lane is currently being progressed after many residents signed a petition requesting action. As a Green, Cllr Clarke would like to see improvements in traffic problems in Frome alongside a boost for greener forms of transport like walking, cycling and better bus services.
County councillor Martin Dimery (Frome East) picked up on the need for a collaborative approach, and the importance of working with representatives of other councils. Green councillors were instrumental in setting up the Frome Councillors Forum, where town, district and county councillors meet in order to work together on issues affecting the town. Different councils have responsibility for different areas but it is hugely important that they work together, for example for Planning (district) to work together effectively with Highways (county) The councillors' forum is one way to ensure that this happens. "A top down approach from Somserset will not work so well as a plan which comes direct from people in Frome."
Cllr Dimery also highlighted the way that Frome has tended to be neglected by Somerset county, and the importance of having energetic councillors representing Frome. While two Green councillors on a Conservative majority Council may not be able to alter the 'big picture' policies at county level, they can argue the case for Frome, both for vital services like the library, and ensuring that public consultation meetings are held somewhere convenient for Frome residents and not just for council officials coming from Taunton!
On the day after the 'Connected Frome' meeting, Somerset County Council's CEO Pat Flaherty made a rare visit to Frome at the encouragements of Cllrs Dimery and Clarke, where he also met with town councillors to discuss issues affecting the town.
Shane Collins, who represents Frome Keyford at Mendip District, agreed that a minority group of Green councillors will find it difficult to change the direction of the council, but that there are meaningful ways that improvements can be made. These include ensuring there are 'clear lines of communication' beteween all the councils, and also having the platform to campaign on green issues. Cllr Collins is prominent in the campaign for Somerset to divest its pension fund from £125 million invested in fossil fuel companies, and in the Switch EDF Off campaign, which offers cashback for energy users who switch to a green energy provider from EDF, a major investor in the new Hinkley Point nuclear power station.
Last Decemeber, Cllr Collins proposed the successful motion for Mendip Council to stop using single use plastics, and described the successes on this issue as "a good example of how a small number of councillors jumping on the right campaign at the right time can make big changes".
Another tangible way in which Green councillors can help is in attending meetings to argue the case for protecting green spaces. This happened when Mendip council were considering allowing developers to build on Frome's green spaces at Packsaddle and The Mount. It was Green councillors who argued that this would be 'smashing social capital', and the spaces are now to be protected, with ownership passing to the town council.
Des Harris (Frome Market) is on the Planning Board (and several other committees) at Mendip District and he described how much of his work is concerned with the buildings and environment of Frome. He also had good news to share about Frome's green spaces, with the Millennium Green also due to be signed over as a protected space to the town. Cllr Harris also participates in monthly 'walkabouts' in Frome with Mel Usher and Chris Stringer from the town council, to identify any problems, such as vandalism or other damage, which can then be flagged up to the appropriate officer at the right council. This approach is paying off, with central Frome looking tidier than before, and issues are not dropped before they are dealt with.
Cllr Harris also raised the issue of persistent abuse by developers of affordable housing requirements. Mendip District requires than all residential developments of more than ten dwelling should have 30% of homes sold at an 'affordable' price. However, over the last 11 years, Mendip have achieved only 18% affordable homes out of 5000 built. Developers prefer not to build affordable homes as they make less profit, so they often make excuses for why they can't afford to reach the required threshold for a development. These excuses come in the form of 'viability assessments', which purport to show how some aspect of the development, e.g. contaminated land, adds expense to the project and means that the developer should be exempted from the minimum affordable housing requirement. Furthermore, these viability assessments are not made public, so we are not able to see how plausible they are. Cllr Harris plans to address this issue by putting a motion to council this May that all viability assessments should be made public knowledge so that developers' attempts to reduce the affordable homes they build can be evaluated by everyone.
Stina Falle also represents Frome Market at Mendip. She continued the theme of development in Frome, specifically the Saxonvale site. The owners of the majority of this huge site have indicated that they will be putting Saxonvale on the market, although there is no planning permission at present for any development. Cllr Falle argued that Saxonvale is an important asset in the centre of Frome, and needs a well-designed mixed used development which works for the town rather than just maximising profit for a developer. She proposes that the best way for us to ensure that Saxonvale is developed in a way which works for Frome would be for the community to take matters into their own hands, as they did very successfully when Whatcombe Fields were threatened and shares were issued for the community itself to purchase and protect the land. A community purchase of Saxonvale would be a much bigger project, but it would allow the town to 'use this space in a truly original way, and make Frome even more amazing than it already is'.
Cllr Falle, and all the other councillors, also described the day-to-day casework of being a councillor. This can range from helping people with enquiries about parking, leaves and rubbish, and directing them to the right officer and the right council to help with any problems, to assisting people with serious financial, rents and benefits problems, who may be struggling with the paperwork and bureaucracy required to resolve their issues. This can be very challenging, but is a rewarding and vital activity - and the most important connection in the councillor's role.
After each councillor spoke, there were a number of questions from attendees, which sparked discussions on a wide range of issues. Among the issues covered were:
Selwood Garden Village: as has been reported in the local press, this is a proposed development of 2000 homes to be built just outside Frome, beyond The Mount. The plan would be for this to be a self-contained village, with its own access, infrastructure, school and shops. Cllr Harris suggested that this could be better than piecemeal development taking place in and around Frome, which are made without infrastructure improvements. Cllr Collins pointed out that central government has mandated that a large number of houses must be built in Mendip, and Frome has been identified as the best placed town to provide them. The development will be designed by Frome architects NVB, and there is potential for the scheme, although large, to be positive if built to a high standard of green housing using Passivhaus principles, with allotments, workspace etc. The development is not yet sure to go ahead - not all landowners have agreed to sell.
Cycling in Frome: it was suggested that Frome could be friendlier for cyclists, with better cycle lanes and improved safety. There are some practical limitations with providing these in a town like Frome with narrow roads. Any improvements would need to go through the county council, which oversees highways. Cllr Clarke suggested that small improvement schemes could be used, and Cllr Dimery said that this is one area where a unified plan presented by the Frome Councillors Forum would have a better chance than expecting the county council to provide a solution.
Local democracy: concerns were raised about local democracy being eroded, for example by the many schools with academy status which have been taken out of local authority control, and so those running them are no longer accountable to a democratically elected local authoritiy. Another issue is the 'Cabinet' system whereby decisions at the county and district councils are made by a small group of councillors from the majority party, rather than by full council. Most committees can advise but do not have the power to make decisions themselves. This means that councillors who are not in the Cabinet cannot contribute to the decisions of the council, and because all Cabinet members come from the majority party (Conservatives at both district and county), the cabinet is not representative of the council as a whole. Most people are unaware that this is how their councils operate!
Improving access in Frome: Access for All is a campaign from Fair Frome to improve access to buildings in Frome. It is difficult to make progress in areas like Cheap Street, but innovative approaches like temporary crossings for the leat could help.
Councillors ended the meeting by looking forward - Mendip District Council elections will take place in May 2019. With Green councillors working effectively, and green issues among local people's top concerns, the Green Party is well-placed to increase its number of councillors working for Frome, Mendip and Somerset.
We would like to thank Sheila Gore for chairing, Indepedents for Frome councillor Peter Macfadyen who answered questions relating to the town council and everyone who came along to make this meeting a success.
Cllrs Clarke (L) and Dimery (R) meet with Somerset County Council CEO Pat Flaherty at Frome Town Hall, following the Connected Frome meeting.
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