The Council Meeting started with a welcome from the Chair, Mayor Mark Dorrington, to a packed room of local residents and Cllrs.
Following questions and comments from the public and Cllrs, next on the agenda was a presentation from Sergeant Rachel Clark & Inspector Mark Nicholson from Avon and Somerset Police. 
They discussed the local policing plan in Frome and provided an overview of the plans for the response policing hub move to Shepton Mallet in spring 2020. It was confirmed that the neighbourhood policing team, comprising of 15 PCSOs and 8 Beat Managers will stay in Frome.
They explained that the neighbourhood teams spend 30% of their time dealing with crime, the remaining time is spent assisting in an array of areas; mental health issues, missing persons, county lines, modern slavery – just to name a few. The improvement in technology, new laptops and the cars equipped with wifi, now allows officers to carry out their duties more efficiently and be seen out and about in the community.
Both Rachel and Mark emphasised how vital it is that people pick up the phone and report incidents, no matter how small.
Following on from this we heard from Environment Manager, Chris Stringer, regarding the proposed new project: ‘Wild about Trees’. He described the planned tree policy for the Council, not only for this year but beyond too, and highlighted the importance of trees in the town and why we should value them. The new project aims to plant more trees and hedgerows not just in Frome’s parks and green spaces and complement the successful ‘Wild about Frome’ campaign but around the town too. As well as providing colour and character to the town, Chris also highlighted how planting trees will help to fight climate change, increase biodiversity, create habitats for wildlife and enhance human wellbeing.
The report produced lots of positive comments and contributions from attendees, including representation from the Woodland Trust, on how together we can make this project flourish. Cllrs unanimously approved and adopted the proposed plans agreeing it is an important commitment for now and future generations. Get the full details of the proposal here.
Next, Marketing and Communications Manager, Rachel Griffin gave an overview of the Frome Town Council’s (FTC) Annual Report which takes a look back at the Council’s activities during 2018/19 which Cllrs duly approved and adopted. The report covers the Mayor’s year, details FTC’s highlights and looks at the income and expenditure alongside details of grant recipients. The report will be published online and is a great summary of what we do and why. The report can be found here.
Following on, there were reports on Cllr’s membership of committees and groups, representation on the Independent Market and approving the protocol for Cllr-Staff relations. You can find all the reports here.
The agenda and details of everything mentioned above can be found here. Dates of future Council and committee meetings can be found here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep updated on everything we’re up to.
Published 30/09/19
