“We cannot afford to be ignored” says councillor over district council cash row

A FROME town councillor is looking to take action against Mendip District Council, after over 90 people joined a Facebook page claiming Frome has been unfairly treated by the district council.
The page, titled “Pitchfork rebellion against MDC” claims that Mendip District Council will not give Frome a “fair share” of a £10million pot of cash given to the district council thanks to homes built in Frome.
The group was set up by Frome town councillor Nick White and, with 92 people joining the page, he is now looking to take action.
Cllr White said, “We need to do something, we cannot afford to let his happen. Even if we rally up 30 or 40 people to attend the next Mendip District Council meeting, that would be a good start.
“We need the right amount of enthusiasm. Shout and make our voices heard early on. It’s the right time to say to the district, ‘don’t overlook Frome.’”
Cllr White believes that Frome has been mistreated by Mendip District Council. He said that the district council will be awarded £10million from a new homes bonus, which is given to local authorities from central government. The purpose of the cash is to go towards infrastructure projects to accommodate the increase in population that the new homes will bring.
However, according to cllr Nick White, while 25 per cent of the new homes will be built in Frome, Mendip District Council will keep the “lion’s share of the new homes bonus.”
A meeting was set to be held on Monday of this week as Frome Times was going to press to discuss how best to move the group forward.