The Annual Council Meeting was held in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall where a selection of old and newly elected Cllrs, staff and public met.
Outgoing Mayor of Frome, Andy Wrintmore, opened the proceedings by presenting his “Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Award” to June Barnes.
Andy said June was worthy of the award due to her commitment and dedication that she has shown Frome over the years, from being involved with Frome Netball Club to being a member of the management committee with the South Parade Club to being Chairman of the Wives Group at St Johns Church. June has also been involved with the Frome Carnival for over 30 years, from being Chairman of the committee to still marshalling at a lot of other carnivals in the area.
The Queen recognised June in 2013 with an MBE and now June receives the Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Award for being a pillar of the Frome community for more than 7 decades, acting as a lynch pin and driving organisational force in numerous groups and clubs.
Cllr Wrintmore proceeded to give thanks for all the support he has received during his mayoral year, from Cllrs, staff and the whole town. It was then time to elect the new Mayor, Cllr Sara Butler, who thanked Andy for all he’s done as Mayor and welcomed Cllr Philip Campagna as Deputy Mayor.
Following, in quick succession, the Cllrs then approved the adoptions of the Council’s Standing Orders, Cllr’s Code of Conduct and the Power of General Competence. A report on these can be found here. This was followed by the appointment of Anita Collier as the Leader of the Council. The calendar of meetings was revised to remove the Town and Council Matters committee meetings, instead, there will now be a monthly Council meeting. Planning Committee meetings remain unchanged with Cllr Steve Tanner as Chair.
Next, Sarah Williams, Frome Town Council’s Business Manager, presented the Annual Governance and Accountability Return for 2021/22 and the reserves earmarked for specific projects were approved. Details can be found here. Alongside this, the Council’s Financial Regulations were adopted.
Peter Wheelhouse, Economic Development & Regeneration Manager and Deputy Town Clerk presented the Frome Town Council’s Management Group’s end of year review. Peter went through the summary of the work undertaken in the 2021-22 Work Programme; he presented some selected highlights that represented the breadth of work undertaken by the Council. You can read Peter’s full report here.
Finally, Cllr Steve Tanner presented his report regarding the proposed takeover of two rooms at Frome’s railway station. These rooms were previously occupied by a local taxi company and have become available, they are being offered by GWR for use by FTC and the wider community. As the rooms have access directly onto the main platform, and the area around the station is developing rapidly with growing footfall, they represent a valuable community asset that could be used for a variety of purposes including supporting our efforts to encourage more active and sustainable travel. Cllrs duly agreed the proposal to lease the rooms.
The agenda and details of everything mentioned above can be found at on the Annual Council Meeting page. Dates of future Council and committee meetings can be found on the Council Committees, Meetings & Minutes page. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep updated on everything we’re up to.
