Acting Town Clerk’s update – Council meeting 14 January

It was a brief agenda this time, because many of the decisions we’d usually make at the January meeting are necessarily on hold until after the Park Ward by-election on 10 February. Those include our budget for 2026/27 and the precept payable to the town council that will now be considered at the Council meeting on 18 February.  Please pop that date in your diaries.

First on the agenda for discussion at this meeting was the imminent recruitment process for Frome Town Council’s new Town Clerk, following Paul Wynne’s retirement in October. The importance of accessibility and inclusivity in the recruitment process was acknowledged and there is a strong commitment to reflecting that in all the documents and the application process. Work now begins in earnest with a panel of councillors selected who will work with our HR Lead to take it forward from here.

Next was a lengthy and lively discussion about creating a ‘shop front guide’ to keep our town centre looking its best. One person’s idea of an attractive shop front can be very different from another’s, and the conversation focused on how to make sure all voices are heard in the decision-making process. Councillors voted by majority to proceed with the shop front design guide project and we’ll hear more at a future meeting.

A discussion followed about a new mobile app called ‘WalkSafe’, brought to the council for consideration recently by local female-founded and run company Friary Drinks, who run Still Sisters on Marston Trading Estate. The app allows people to use a number of personal safety features, including sharing their location with a trusted contact, planning journeys on well-lit routes and looking up local businesses who have ‘Ask for Angela’ trained staff and facilities such as phone chargers, water and taxi numbers to help you if you’re feeling unsafe while out and about. The newly-formed White Ribbon steering group are keen to try the app as part of their activities to improve safety for women and girls in Frome, and asked councillors to underwrite the cost while they seek a full complement of local participating businesses. Councillors voted by majority to do so, and the steering group will now start to recruit businesses and make an announcement soon about that and other elements of FTC’s White Ribbon activity.

Finally, we have been reflecting on the ways in which we can make it easier for people to join us at a council meeting. We’re lucky at the town hall to have great technical equipment, so that people can join us online as well as in person, but we’re mindful that technology can, in itself, be a barrier. We need to use microphones to ensure that those joining via Zoom or YouTube can hear the people in the room, but if you find that daunting, we can make sure you have a chance to practise before the meeting starts, or we can read something out on your behalf if you don’t like public speaking. We want people to feel comfortable – and heard. Email the team at info@frometowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01373 465757 to let us know how we can make it easier for you to attend.

Watch the 14 January meeting on the FTC YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/council-14-jan-2026.