FROME Town Council may step in and take over some of Somerset Council’s services as the authority declares a ‘financial emergency’ and warns of bankruptcy.
At the full town council meeting on Wednesday 15th November the town council’s clerk, Paul Wynne, said all Somerset Council services are under ‘severe’ financial pressure and Frome Town Council should ‘consider nothing safe,’ as the authority prepares to make cuts.
This follows letteras from the leader of Somerset Council, cllr Bill Revans, to town and parish councils and residents, informing of a predicted overspend of £27million this year and a £100million gap in its budget for next year, due to increasing costs of social care services for vulnerable adults and children and limited income from council tax. As a result, some non-mandatory adult and children’s services could be cut, as these comprise over 70% of Somerset Council’s budget.
If the council does not manage to balance the budget, a Section 114 notice will be issued, rendering Somerset Council bankrupt, with government commissioners taking over to make the cuts.
In his letters, cllr Bill Revans urges residents to write to local MP Sarah Dyke to call for government support and he has written to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
What does this mean for Frome?
Paul Wynne said, “It is possible that we might take on some of the early intervention and prevention services that Somerset Council currently provide. We don’t know at the moment what these services might be and if Somerset Council is in a position to talk about them and if not now, when?
“Frome Town Council would be willing to explore with Somerset Council what some of these services are and how we could help retain them for the benefit of the community.”
He also said other services that could be cut include: street cleaning and bins, public toilets, grass cutting, markets, economic development support, public health projects and campaigns.
But Paul Wynne said the town council needs to be prepared to consider buying or having assets transferred to it, or to step in to provide services.
He suggested the town council could take on; street cleaning, the library building, he suggested developing a library hub; taking over the Key Centre and the toilets in the Cheese and Grain car park; as well as taking over the contract for the number 30 bus service; and Frome Town Council subsidising the opening hours of the recycling centre.
At the meeting last week, leader of Frome Town Council, cllr Lisa Merry-weather said, “The infrastructure that we have [in Frome] gives us a really good basis and a support network and we have a really strong sense of community, which I think possibly puts us in a better position than some of our neighbours to find ways of doing things differently, more efficiently, better, we have an excellent community already. So I think though we are going into worrying times, I think we have the resources and the experience and infrastructure to support that reasonably well.”
Council Tax
Over the coming weeks, the town council will be allocating budgets to enable councillors to be in a position to decide whether to take on surplus assets, continue to provide threatened services or step in to provide alternative approaches.
Paul Wynne explained at the meeting that councillors should be prepared to receive recommendations at the December council meetings and to consider increasing the precept in January if it decides to act.
Cllr Fiona Barrows said, “The finances of Somerset Council are a black hole that are never going to be filled. I think that we have to be really careful that we don’t try and get in that hole and fill it by upping the precept ourselves, because it will just drain us.”
The town council agreed that Somerset Council faces a financial emergency and acknowledges that urgent action need to be taken to address the position including the setting up of the financial focus group and the introduction of further financial controls to limit spending.
The news follows other councils that have recently declared bankruptcy including Birmingham City Council and Thurrock Council in Essex.
