Selwood Parish Council covers a scattered rural community consisting of a number of hamlets and villages to the West, East and South of Frome in Somerset.
East Ward: Tytherington, Blatchbridge, Rodden, East and West Woodlands, Feltham.
West Ward: Spring Gardens, Oldford.
The two wards are represented by councillors as shown under the Parish Council tab. There is a village hall and church (St Katharine’s) in East Woodlands and All Saints Church Rodden.
Providing a local voice to influence Somerset Council’s policies and plans.
There are other powers that some parishes like Frome Town exercise but we do not require in Selwood:
- Provide Allotments
- Community and sports centres
- Cemeteries
- Bus shelters
- Parks and public open spaces
- Street cleaning
Somerset Council are responsible for:
- Adult social care, children’s services
- Education
- Planning – they are the decision making authority
- Waste management, environmental services
- Highways, maintenance, management, pot-holes, road gritting, fly-tipping, verges, footpaths, ditches, drainage & footpaths
- Democracy, organising elections
- Public transport
- Public health
- Public housing
- Car parks
- Public Toilets
- Street lighting
- Planning enforcement
- Strategic planning
- Other non-statutory activities that are optional:
- Support of the arts
- Support of local charities
- Tourism
As the funding crisis bites at Somerset Council we expect that some of their responsibilities will be delegated to the parishes to perform as they concentrate on the statutory responsibilities that are at the top of their list. The annual increases in Council Tax are capped at Somerset’s level (5%) but our Parish Precept is uncapped so to ensure continuity of key services we’ll probably assume the costs for some of them. More on this will be revealed next year.
Please contact the Parish Clerk if you have any needs for information to be received in a different format e.g. large print