Frome Town Council has agreed its budget for the coming year, setting out how it will deliver the priorities in its Council Plan 2025–27. The budget and council strategy have both been informed by residents’ priorities, gathered via last year’s ‘Building a Picture of Frome’ project, surveys, pop-up engagement events and other channels of communication.
Councillors voted by majority to an increase of 6.8% to the town council’s share of council tax. For 89% of residents, this represents an average increase of 32p per week, or a total cost of £5.05 per week, supporting the full range of services and investment delivered locally by FTC.
Leader and Chair of Frome Town Council, Cllr Fiona Barrows, said:
“We know how tough things are for many people right now, and we don’t take any increase lightly. We have gone through every single line of this budget with real care, knowing that residents are under real pressure. There have been detailed discussions about areas of work and every pound we are proposing to spend. We have done everything we can to keep our costs down – budgeting carefully, responsibly, and compassionately – with the long-term interests of Frome in mind.
“We believe we deliver good value for money for the town. We keep our investment local, and we use it to support the people, places and opportunities that make Frome what it is. This budget is about maintaining what works, stepping up where it’s needed, and continuing to invest in our community in a way that is practical, responsible and rooted in the priorities our residents have helped shape.”
In recent years, Frome Town Council has stepped in to protect services, take on assets and fill gaps, particularly following Somerset Council’s financial emergency. This includes adopting 57 new open spaces, taking on the Key Centre and Badgers Hill, improving cleaning and maintenance in the town centre and supporting community organisations which are themselves plugging gaps in statutory services. The budget reflects this additional responsibility.
In light of the council’s growth in recent years, FTC invited the Local Government Association (LGA) to review the organisation via a ‘peer challenge’ process in 2025. The resulting report praised the council’s ambition, values and its community-focused approach. It made a series of recommendations for governance and financial management which are embedded in a new Improvement Plan for FTC and reflected in the new work programme and budget.
During the meeting, some councillors shared concerns about the proposed work programme. Cllr Nick Dove shared concerns about the reliability and inadequate frequency of refuse collections and the associated graffiti on commercial bins, and didn’t feel there was a sufficient plan in place to tackle the issue, of great importance for residents.
Cllr Lisa Merryweather felt some areas, such as post-16 education, support for the economically deprived and the digitally excluded were not sufficiently provided for in the programme. New Liberal Democrat town councillor Richard Pinnock shared concerns that the precept increase was too high and would impact the most vulnerable people in the community.
Lenka Grimes of Fair Frome thanked the council for its ongoing financial support of the charity, as their services were experiencing unprecedented demand and for raising the precept as little as possible.
Cllr Anne Hills and Cllr Barrows responded that there was significant provision in the budget and work programme to support Frome’s most vulnerable residents.
The budget includes funding for:
Maintaining and improving parks, play areas and open spaces
Frome Town Council now looks after 36 hectares of parks, play areas and open spaces.
Investing in community buildings and shared spaces
Including the Key Centre, Badgers Hill and other facilities that support local groups, services and community activities.
Grants and support for community organisations
Sustaining Frome’s vibrant voluntary and community sector, which provides essential support and opportunities across the town.
Investing in Frome’s future
Setting out a Frome Town Prospectus to define the town’s identity and make a compelling case for strategic investment and funding.
Supporting the town centre
Enhancing the environment and activity of the town centre to keep it thriving in difficult national conditions.
Residents can view the full work programme and budget at https://tinyurl.com/ftc-budget-26-27.
