Frome Town Council and Somerset Council gathered on 7 May for the inaugural Frome Summit: a landmark meeting focused on strengthening collaboration between the councils and shaping a positive future for the town.
Hosted at Frome Town Hall and attended by local MP Anna Sabine, the summit brought together councillors and senior officers to discuss some of the biggest opportunities and challenges facing Frome, including housing, transport, health and wellbeing, the local economy, and opportunities for young people.
The event focused on how organisations can work more closely together to deliver better outcomes for residents, recognising that many of the challenges facing Frome cannot be solved by one organisation alone.
Discussions throughout the day highlighted a shared ambition to ensure Frome remains a thriving, creative and inclusive town, while also addressing growing pressures around housing affordability, infrastructure and access to services.
Leader of Somerset Council Bill Revans said:
“It was fantastic to hear so many ideas about how Somerset Council and Frome Town Council can work together, and to explore how we can strengthen our collaboration in the future for the benefit of our residents.”
Cllr Fiona Barrows, Leader of Frome Town Council, said:
“My thanks today for the genuine engagement by Bill Revans, leader of Somerset Council, to Anna Sabine MP and their teams. Today felt incredibly positive despite the enormous challenges facing us all. There was a real sense of shared purpose in the room and a recognition that by working together we can achieve far more for Frome than we can individually.
“Frome has always been a town full of creativity and community spirit and this summit was about harnessing that spirit alongside the strengths of our partner organisations. We’re excited about the conversations that started today and, most importantly, the actions and partnerships that will come from them.”
MP Anna Sabine said:
“It was brilliant for me and my team to spend the day with both Somerset and Frome councils to better understand how we can work together to deliver for Frome residents. It was really useful and many thanks to everyone who came “
The event is intended to be the first in an ongoing programme of collaborative conversations aimed at building stronger partnerships and delivering meaningful action for Frome.
