Frome Town Council

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Local Government - County, District, Town or Parish?

There are three tiers of local Government which serve residents in the county of Somerset. Those affecting Frome are:

SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL

The County Council, based in Taunton is the last tier before national government. The Council's duties and services are managed by the 58 elected councillors (known within the Council as 'members'). Somerset County Council employs over 14,000 people in its various departments and establishments and is the county's largest employer. It has a total spending of around £819 million (2008/2009). Most employees are engaged in front line services to the public.

Its responsibilities include:

Education, including adult education, the youth service and under fives
Social services, who work with other agencies to provide integrated care in the community (including fostering, adoption, care of those with special needs and the vulnerable including the elderly, the Drug Action Team and Youth Offending Team);
The Fire Brigade
Emergency Planning
Highways and Road Safety
Rights of Way
The environment and waste disposal together with planning applications for waste and mineral sites
Economic Development. The county is responsible for the strategic plans which set out policies for the location of new development such as housing, industry, shopping and leisure facilities and the transport to serve these.
Consumer Protection
Libraries and Museums

In Somerset there are four district councils: Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset and West Somerset; and one borough council: Taunton Deane.

MENDIP DISTRICT COUNCIL

The District Council, based in Shepton Mallet, has 47 elected councillors representing Mendip's 103,869 residents in 35 electoral wards.

Its responsibilities include:

Building Regulations
Car Parks
Cemeteries
Concessionary Bus Fares
Council Tax
Social Housing
Economic Development
Elections
Food Safety and Hygiene
Some Highway Maintenance
Historic buildings; housing benefits; improvement grants; leisure and recreation; licensing
Local Plans and Planning Applications
Parks and Playing Fields
Pest Control
Refuse Collection
Sports Centres
Street Cleaning
Some Markets
Some aspects of Tourism
Tree Preservation

At the grass roots level are town and parish councils.

Frome Town Council has 17 Councillors representing 6 Wards.

The Town Council acts as a consultee and lobbying force with both the county and district councils, and both regional and national government, putting forward the wishes and needs of the local community. Somerset County Council consults with the Frome Town Council on such subjects as the Local Transport Plan. Mendip District Council also consults with Frome Town Council on such matters as the district-wide Local Development Framework, planning applications within Frome, and the town's regeneration projects.

Frome Town Council acts as an agent for some County and District Council services, reporting the location of blocked drains, defective street lights and vegetation overgrowing public footpaths.

If you notice a defective street light, please make a note of the number on the post as well as the street, as during the day it is impossible to tell which light is not working!

Frome Town Council also runs several direct services; these services run for the town by the town.

The list of the Statutory Spending Powers of Parish Councils gives examples of things that parish councils can do with legislation that provides the power to act and therefore to spend money on.

Local authorities (County and District) raise their income in a number of different ways. Council tax makes up 25 per cent of the revenue, business rates 24 per cent, 18 per cent is recovered in fees and charges and the remaining 33 per cent comes from central government. Parish Councils receive no money from central government and receive no contribution from the business rate.