Chair’s reflections – 22 April 2026

From guest chair Cllr Sara Butler-Bartholomew

“I stepped in again as Chair for the 22 April council meeting, because our usual chair Fiona is still joining us on Zoom while she has treatment for cancer.

“This evening’s agenda included some important local topics, including the future of town centre toilets and the wider riverside area, an update on Badgers Hill and a review of our management structure. I’m also proud to say FTC took positive action last night to make it possible for Fiona, who is still attending council meetings and often presenting papers, to use her vote as well. At the moment, councillors only have a vote if they’re at a meeting in person, but as my colleague Andy Jones said ‘There’s clearly a disparity between the Local Government Act, published in 1974, the year I left school, and the 2010 Equality Act, with its nine protected characteristics. It feels like the right time to make a change.’ It did, it does – and Fiona is able to participate fully in decisions again.

Toilets in the town centre

“FTC have carried out a wide-ranging engagement exercise on public toilet provision this year, using the new MyFrome platform, two in-person events face-to-face conversations with 162 residents and visitors. Overall, we spoke to more than 500 people about four possible options: refurbishing the existing toilets, a complete rebuild, reimagining the space with another feature, such as a café or tourist info point; or closing the toilets permanently and expanding the You’re Welcome scheme so people can use toilets in local businesses for free. The results were very close, but the front runner was creating a reimagined space – but definitely including central public toilets.

“Presenting the findings, Marketing and Communications Manager Rachel Griffin said: ‘Our engagement included a broad cross-section of users including families, older people, disabled people and those with medical needs…it’s clear that people want clean, safe, accessible, clearly signposted toilets in a central location.’

“With a clear mandate from residents, the next steps are securing a 25-year lease from Somerset Council to enable FTC to make the changes and appointing a Riverside Advisory Group to oversee the project within broader plans for the whole of the riverside area.

Badgers Hill

“Next was an update on Badgers Hill after neither of the bids received met our criteria to lease or buy the site. Fiona Barrows said “We remain committed to finding a solution, and we are continuing to work actively towards one. Our priority is to ensure that Badgers Hill is not put at risk again, and that it receives the investment it desperately needs. Today, we have written to Frome Town AFC with a proposal for a two-year lease as a step towards achieving that stability.”

Independent review of management structure

“Also on the agenda was a plan to commission an independent review of the council’s management structure by Council HR and Government Support (CHRGS) now that FTC has appointed its new permanent town clerk and has an opportunity to look at vacant posts and the remits of longstanding staff members.

“As Fiona said: ‘We are a council that is in transition: we’re not the same council we were five or ten years ago. Getting our management structure right is so important – we’ve grown organically over recent years; A lot of our managers have stayed in post quite a long time, which is fantastic – and there comes a point where you have to take a pause and ask “is this working as well as it could?”  I believe we’ll get a lot of value for our money in terms of efficiency savings and effectiveness savings.’ Councillors voted by majority to take the process forward.”

Watch the meeting in full on FTC’s YouTube channel at https://tinyurl.com/council-22-apr-2026. View papers and agendas for future meetings at https://tinyurl.com/ftc-council-meetings.