Frome Town Council (FTC) has an obligation under the Local Government Act 1986 to ensure that it doesn’t publish material that appears to be designed to affect public support for a political party. In addition, the national Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity recommends that FTC issue any kind of publicity with care during periods of heightened sensitivity. This is reflected in FTC’s Media Communications Policy.
Frome Town Council’s role is to foster a safe, inclusive and respectful community. We recognise that some issues, whether local or international, can be deeply sensitive and potentially divisive. However, we also recognise the importance of empathy and dialogue to reach across divides, and increase our understanding as a community of complex issues.
FTC will facilitate publicity for, and hosting of, events of a sensitive nature organised by community groups, provided that the following criteria are met:
- The event does not advocate for a specific political party or political agenda
- The event is held in a contained space rather than an open public space
- The primary aim is to increase understanding, encourage respectful discussion, or raise funds for humanitarian aid
- The tone and format of the event are designed to be safe, welcoming and non-threatening to all members of our community
The responsibility for ensuring safety and respectful engagement lies with event organisers. FTC reserves the right to withdraw publicity materials or permissions if these standards are not met.
Fiona Barrows Leader and Chair of Frome Town Council said: “We reviewed this policy in response to requests from Frome Friends for Palestine to publicise some of their events. As independent councillors we come from different political backgrounds, but all of us have been horrified by the desperate humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, our primary concern is our community here in Frome. The situation in Gaza has deep and complicated roots, and we recognise that some events could therefore be upsetting and divisive for some of our community. As such we have a responsibility as a town council to tread carefully.
“As a community we need to be able to have difficult conversations and be willing to learn from and understand different perspectives on complicated issues. Having considered this all very carefully, we have agreed to alter our policy to allow for events which will support discussion on sensitive issues which are held in a safe, inclusive and nuanced way. We have agreed that events in our open public spaces carry too high risk of feeding division or making some residents feel unsafe.
“We want to be clear that Frome Town Council is for everyone, and we are a fully inclusive council that believes that everyone in Frome deserves to feel safe and welcomed. This policy will stand for any event on a sensitive or divisive issue, and we will consider all events carefully and individually.”
