Recently over 1,000 Frome residents voted in the Town Council’s vote on the public toilets in Victoria Park; and the results are in. Both the questions and the results are as follows:
- Do you want public toilets in Victoria Park?
Yes – 99%
No – 1%
- If Yes, what is your preferred option for providing better toilets in the park?
Option 1: Refurbishing the existing loos – 22%
Option 2: New loos – 13%
Option 3: Better facilities (either a new café or an improved & extended café, incorporating new loos) – 64%
Councillor Richard Ackroyd said “To start with, it’s brilliant that we had so many votes – and I’d like to thank everyone who voted. It’s also great that there has been such an emphatic response, since this gives us a really clear idea about what people want. Only 10 people said that they didn’t want us to keep the loos open. And nearly two-thirds voted for option 3. Which means we can start getting down to the nitty gritty of providing what the town wants: better facilities; and an all-weather café to serve the park”
Although a complex topic, the question was really about budgeting. This year Frome Town Council has introduced a process of direct decision making called Participatory Budgeting, where people living in Frome can have a direct say on how some of the Council’s budgets are spent. The Council has already asked the town to decide on how the events budget is spent; and later in the summer, the final PB vote will see the town vote on how the Council invests in play in Packsaddle and Tower View. Once this is complete there will then be a review of the whole process.
Chris Stringer, Environment Manager, commenting on the park vote said “We’ve already started work on the project. The next step is for us to scope out the options that this vote has presented us with. It’s worth saying now that there’s a long way to go, not least deciding whether we want a new or an extended café. Then there will be all of the planning and design.
We’ll keep everyone as informed as possible through the press and our noticeboards; but if you would like to receive direct updates about this and our other parks and green spaces then lease email the Council and we can add you to our mailing list.”
“And it’s business as usual for the current toilets and the park café this summer” said Chris.
To comment or for further information please contact info@frometowncouncil.gov.uk
