Frome Town Council Meeting

26th January 2011

V4F Update Brief Charles Wood

Chairman

MAIN ROLES

Promoting Community Plan - Monitoring, Maintaining, revising, assisting and lobbying to achieve objectives

Networking with Town Groups and Local Authorities - to help to:

- Relate plan objectives with town issues

- Assist community groups to meet Plan's objectives (e.g. inputting to fund

generation and business cases)

Facilitating and Promoting Community Consultations - to reach all parts of

the Frome community

Working with Other Somerset and Mendip Community Organisations - E.G.

as member of the Somerset Market Towns Forum (SMTF), Mendip Strategic

Partnership Board Member (MSP), and Mendip Community Support – also with

Community Council for Somerset.

Update – since January 2009

Slow but steady progress

Cultivating a useful presence in the town

Concentrated on building good links and networking

The Plan's projects a constant point of reference

Plan Maintenance and Development

Limited activity - “Mapping” of town groups' objectives and activities to the Plan's projects a necessary start

Will include new projects

Refresh around 5 years after issue

Promoting the Plan's Projects

Support other groups – funding applications (e.g. FROGS riverside project)

Free car parks

Westway seating

Gorehedge junction – pedestrian needs

Saxonvale – some 44 of the Plan's projects could be relevant to this development

Town tourism and marketing

NETWORKING AND LINKS (1)

Town Council- Working Group and Forum on Town

information

- Car Park Purchase solution

- Gorehedge traffic arrangements

District Council and EMCP- Consultation on town centres, future economy

- MSP – Sustainable Community Strategy

- Year 09/10 Budget priorities consultation

- Car park charges discussion, consultation event and permit solution

NETWORKING AND LINKS (2)County Council

- Transport Plan

Town Groups

- Direct liaison and assistance with CoC, cFrome, Sustainable Frome, Civic Society, FoRF, FROGS

Somerset Market Town Forum (SMTF)

- Newsletters

- Network events

- Information feedback

Community Council for Somerset (CCS)

– Tracking and advising on Community Plan projects

NEXT STEPS

For V4FContinue to build momentum – use our funds

to raise capacity. “Mapping” task, and admin and website support.

Seek to strengthen cooperative links with and between the Council, other town groups, with town “partnership” approach in mind.

Build membership and contacts, to raise capacity, and to make a possible social enterprise approach viable.

Town's Hot Issues Include

Town and Tourist information Provision

Car parking (V4F, EMCP, CoC, SF, FTC)

Cheese and Grain

Saxonvale

- Traffic

- Supermarket (Various initiatives, Blog, media etc)

County and District Cuts - e.g:

- Arts

- Libraries

Handling Town IssuesSome Food for thought

- More and more the Town could have to address its own needs as the cuts bite

- Localism Bill, Right to Build, and community empowerment will call for differences in how we collectively do business.

- The Town Council will/should presumably have a lead role in this.

- The Community Plan should continue to encompass what the community wish to see in Frome

• Long and short term view (to 2028), informing the Council's Strategic Plan (3 year view) and the LDF

• Owned by the Community (e.g via V4F or a Town partnership) – a refresh will be needed

• A Town coordinator should have a key role

District Council

Project Deliveries

S Frome

Services

The many Other Town Groups (e.g.

FoRF, FROGS)

V4F(Owns Plan)

SMTF

How Things Could/Should? Work (1) (Partnership Approach)

FROME COMMUNITY

Executive/Action Links

cFrome

Civic Society

CoC

Town Council

Community involvement

Partnership“with Variable subgroups

according to need”

Networking &/orCooperation

Town Environment and Activities

County Council

Other Somerset Groups – MCS,

CCS, etc

MSP

District Council

Project Deliveries

S Frome

Services

The many Other Town Groups (e.g.

FoRF, FROGS)

SMTF

How Things Could/Should? Work (2) (Partnership Approach)

FROME COMMUNITY

Executive/Action Links

cFrome

Civic Society

CoC

Town Council

Community involvement

Partnership“with Variable subgroups

according to need”

Networking &/orCooperation

Town Environment and Activities

County Council

Other Somerset Groups – MCS, MSP, CCS, etc

Coordinator

Community Plan

Owned by Partnership

Management Team/Trust etc/ex-V4F

A challenging and interesting time for the Town – with

several regeneration issues

I leave the thought with you, and the next Town Council, on how best to work with the Frome community -

So we can, collectively, be optimistic about the future characteristics and facilities of the town