Through your pages I would be very grateful for the opportunity to thank the voters of Midsomer Norton North Ward for giving me the privilege of serving on their behalf on B&NES Council and Midsomer Norton Town Council for the last twelve years.

As I approach my ninth decade, it is time to hand over to others. In my experience, perhaps surprisingly, those others will find more scope for improving community life through the smaller Town Council than in the larger unitary council.

B&NES necessarily tends to centre on Bath, and the political party structure means that one party drives policy forward, leaving those who do not form the administration to scrutinise as best they can, and to put forward the interests of their residents when they can. 

I did my bit to add some useful pieces to Traffic Regulation Orders to make our streets a little safer, and one particular action on behalf of a resident was memorable, when I brought forward a motion at Council which had the result of spurring officers to stop charging double Council tax to a couple who had recently moved into a house which needed renovation to make it habitable.

There are satisfactions like that, but generally B&NES is an instrument of social welfare with over 80% of its income spent on Adult and Children’s social care, areas which are necessarily led by qualified officers rather than amateur elected members. 

Also a lot of time with B&NES is taken up with planning matters, which are generally frustrating. Residents rightly want their interests pursued, but this usually means opposing plans put forward by developers, which will ultimately be decided by planning law. The days I spent at the Monger Lane planning appeal, the Mendip Examination and others were on reflection not days particularly well spent.

Midsomer Norton Town Council, however, has steadily improved the quality of life in the Town since 2010, by creating a town park, improving the river,  making (in due course) the Town Hall a much better venue for community groups and events, employing a town caretaker, creating the Community Trust to manage town life and events, and creating the Town Trust to own and maintain the town’s assets like the park and the Town Hall.

Much of this has been done without cost to the taxpayers, with the recent successful £350,000 Town Hall funding bid from WECA being a good example.

I do therefore urge voters to choose candidates who want to keep the Town Council as the formidable force for good, engaged at the centre of town life, that it has become.