Frome Town Council is inviting residents, businesses and local groups to join them for a discussion about tagging and graffiti in the town centre at the next Community and Place Committee meeting on Wednesday 22 July at Frome Town Hall, from 7pm to 9pm.
Maintaining the appearance of the town centre officially falls under the remit of Somerset Council. However, in recent years Frome Town Council have employed an additional town ranger with specific responsibility for the town centre, in keeping with three of the five aims of its Council Plan: to grow community wellbeing; support a thriving town; and improve assets and infrastructure. Ranger Mike cleans graffiti regularly from street furniture and bins. The meeting on 22 July aims to bring together members of Somerset Council, Frome Town Council and the local community to seek new strategies and work together to tackle the problem.
Cllr Nick Dove said “Ranger Mike undertakes regular ‘resets’ to clean up graffiti but often his work is undone within days or even hours. Unwanted tagging and graffiti don’t just ruin the appearance of our town centre; it’s criminal damage. Lots of residents have contacted me to say how angry they are at these deliberate acts of vandalism and how it damages the look of our beautiful town. Although we’ve taken steps to tackle it ourselves, FTC aren’t permitted to clean road signs belonging to Somerset, for instance, and we can’t be everywhere, no more can the police or our colleagues at Somerset. For the greatest impact we need to work together with the community, from eyes and ears on the ground to your creative ideas and strategies. This is a town-wide problem that requires a town-wide solution and we need your help please.
“Frome is a town that embraces creativity; we’ve commissioned several pieces of street art in recent years. One possibility is the creation of a town-centre art trail, with local artists creating pieces of public art on frequently tagged surfaces. Evidence suggests that this can discourage vandalism and repeat tagging, while creating a stronger sense of pride and ownership in public spaces. Please come along on 22 July to share your experiences, your thoughts and your ideas with us.”
The discussion will take place at the Community and Place Committee meeting on Wednesday 22 July at Frome Town Hall. Residents are welcome to attend and contribute to the conversation informally. To make a more formal presentation, please contact Laura Flaherty at FTC by Monday 20 July at lflaherty@frometowncouncil.gov.uk.
Anyone unable to attend but wishing to share their views at the meeting can contact Frome Town Council in advance on infor@frometowncouncil.gov.uk or by phone to 01373 465757.
For meeting details, including the agenda and a link to attend via Zoom, visit tinyurl.com/attend-council-meetings
