Agenda and minutes

Only members of the core membership are eligible to be nominated as the Chair. Either the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Local Community Network must be a Somerset Council Councillor.

There were 22 members of the core membership present in the room at the time of the vote.

Somerset Councillor Andy Sully was nominated by Cllr Loretta Whetlor (SALC), seconded by John Passingham (Combe Florey PC). Although Cllr Andy Sully was not present in the meeting, he agreed to accept the position online.

No other nominations were made so Cllr Andy Sully was duly elected.

In his absence it was agreed that Cllr Mandy Chilcott could chair the meeting in the interim unless the Vice Chair (once elected wished to do so).

There were two proposals for the position of Vice Chair:-

·         Cllr Tony Brooks (Crowcombe PC), proposed by Cllr Peter Payne (Williton PC) and seconded by Somerset Cllr Mandy Chilcott.

·         Cllr Brenda Maitland Walker (Carhampton PC), proposed by Ian Duncan (Old Cleeve PC) and seconded by Mostyn Symes (Stogumber PC).

There were 22 of the core membership present in the room who were eligible to vote. The vote was taken with a show of hands which indicated, Tony Brooks (7), Brenda Maitland Walker (14).

Cllr Brenda Maitland Walker was therefore duly elected. For the purposes of this meeting, it was agreed that Cllr Mandy Chilcott would act as interim Chair.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies had been received from Somerset Cllrs Hugh Davies, Christine Lawrence, Mike Rigby and Andy Sully. (Andy Sully attended in a virtual capacity). Robin Wichard (Nettlecome PC), Ray Tew, (Minehead Coastal Development Trust).

To receive and note any declarations of interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.

(The other registrable interests of Councillors of Somerset Council, arising from membership of City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes: City, Town & Parish Twin Hatters - Somerset Councillors 2023 )

Somerset Councillor Marcus Kravis declared an interest as a Minehead Town Councillor.

The Chair to advise of any questions, statements or petitions received that are not covered by items on the agenda for the meeting on which members of the public have requested to speak.

There were no public questions or comments put forward under this part of the agenda.

The following questions were submitted by Bernard Maynard-Smith on behalf of the Minehead Coastal Development Trust:-

• How will the LCN ensure parity between the very different communities of interest and their priorities? I mean of course the upland, coastal and rural communities?

There are 18 LCNs across Somerset which have been formed as Boards of the Council following consultation with the parishes, stakeholders and residents. Key questions addressed during the consultation were about who communities identified with, and who they wanted to work with going forward.  The core membership of the LCN consists of Somerset Councillors, the parishes and town councils, public services and the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector who will all have one vote each. It is hoped that most of the time, themes and topics of interest will be decided by examining the data and coming to a consensus, without the need for formal voting. Smaller working groups will be set up to explore and dig deeper into the main issues and will feed back into the main meeting. All the LCN meetings are public so encourage participation from all members of the community.

• Additionally, how will the linkages be made and balanced under article 4.6 of of the Terms of Reference to ensure cross LCN priorities are addressed appropriately, particularly those of the Somerset coastal communities which spread across 4 LCNS?

The LCN boundaries are lines not walls, and it is understood that there may well be commonality on themes and issues across LCNs. All LCNs will be served by Link officers, who will work together and share knowledge on the emerging themes. This will assist in the production of an annual report, which will be considered by the Somerset Council Executive Committee. The Executive Member with remit for LCNs will meet on a quarterly basis with the LCN Chairs so that common themes and issues can be discussed. The Scrutiny Committee(s) Chairs are also included in this meeting.

• Is there an assurance that the way the LCN is seen, heard and listened to by the ruling group at Somerset Council, will not be adversely affected by its Political make-up?

The Associate Lead Member for Localities (LCNs) & Public Health, Cllr Val Keitch responded that the LCN model was in both business cases for the Unitary Council, and thus was fully supported by all Councillors across Somerset Council. There was a very real will to make them work, and she would give her personal assurance to this.

Kate Hellard (LCN Development Lead) shared a presentation on the purpose of the LCN and how it would feed back into the work of Somerset Council. The presentation slides can be viewed here.

There is a dedicated page on the Somerset Council website which can be accessed via this link.

Questions arising from the floor:-

• How many LCN link officers will there be, and how will they be contacted? Are they contactable now?

There will be 9 FTE Community Link Officers who will take responsibility for 2 LCNs each. They will be directly contactable via email and telephone and will work closely with the Chairs of the LCN. Recruitment to these posts is imminent. In the meantime the LCN team can be contacted on LCN@somerset.gov.uk.

• How will the LCN be financed?

There is currently an earmarked budget set aside within Somerset Council to finance the first year and implementation of the LCNs. This is to pay for venue hire and associated costs with facilitating the initial meetings. LCNs will make the most of any funding opportunities, both local and national, to address the priorities of any one area. LCNs will influence the budgets and policies of the new Council.

• When will the evidence and data packs be ready to help inform the work of the LCN?

Somerset Council Business Intelligence officers are currently compiling generic data packs which will be brought along to the next meeting. It is hoped that the worksheets and notes generated from each initial meeting will shape and tailor the content and highlight where communities want to focus their attention.

There is a FAQs page on the Somerset Council LCN webpage.

Attendees were asked to share what themes, issues and opportunities they wanted the Minehead and Watchet LCN to explore over the next 12 months.

Some of the main issues of discussion are highlighted below:-

Housing

• No masterplan to service and provide outlying infrastructure for new build development. E.g. Access to GPs, dentists and health services. Houses going up in areas of high unemployment leading to reliance on cars to commute to work. No public transport links. Each development is judged individually – needs integration. Robust parking plans to ensure streets are not congested.
• S106 Agreements tied to local housing to ensure made available to local people.
• 35% threshold on affordable housing per development.
• More Council housing or low-cost affordable options needed.
• Introduce an extra tax on second homeowners, so that the cost of local housing is driven down. This would make it more affordable and encourage young people to stay.

Highways

• Need a strategic review of the SC Highways Plan.
• Reinstatement of the B3191 at Cleeve Hill, Watchet. (An essential link road for West Somerset and diversion route for the A39 – the only alternative route).
• Conditions of the highway/lack of maintenance to the required standards.
• Lack of capital investment in the highway’s infrastructure. (Bridges and Structures).
• Lack of communication about diversions, routine maintenance. Lack of communication between the main service providers. The debris from hedge cuttings lands in the drains after they have been cleared by the gully maintenance team! Let the parishes know what is going on, so that they can ensure vehicles are moved and residents are aware of the work.
• Clearer signage and more communication with traffic management about Speed Indicator Devices (SIDS) and speeding.
• Large agricultural vehicles and HGVs using small roads that are not equipped to cope with the demands of the equipment. Subsequent damage to the verges, hedging and nearby housing/buildings and structures.
• Lack of upkeep on public footpaths.
• Obstruction of Vision splays.
• Fund “20 is plenty” schemes to reduce speeding traffic on the roads.

Transport Links

• Improve / Implement bus routes to Bridgwater especially for employment and educational opportunities.
• Need a Transport Plan.
• Student travel options – more affordable and reliable.
• More Active Travel to encourage cycling and walking.
• West Somerset Railway not cost effective for local people. Introduce subsidised tickets for local residents to encourage use.
• Encourage on demand public transport and Wivey Link type schemes.

Environmental Issues / Flooding

• Coastal Protection – Cleeve Hill Watchet and Blue Anchor.
• Flooding concerns in the rural parishes, specifically Monksilver, Nettlecombe, Dunster and Carhampton.
• Surface water flooding on the highway and run-off from agricultural land.
• Biodiversity duty.
• Enforcement of planning conditions. Planners are not local and don’t do site visits. Preserve the character of rural villages.
• Litter, cleaning and dog fouling enforcement. Availability of bins and siting.

Education

• Better curriculum at West Somerset College to enable more job opportunities.

Young People

• Improve access to Facilities / Opportunities. Young people move away to pursue University Education and don’t return.
• Lack of things to do leads  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6b

It was agreed that there should be approximately 6 meetings each year taking place approximately every 2 months. This would also align with the frequency of the other LCN meetings.

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Minehead and Watchet LCN would take place towards the end of September, into the beginning of October and every two months thereafter.

Smaller sub-groups or working parties could be set up once the themes and topics were established and could meet more often. Their findings would feed back into the main LCN meeting.

Parishes were also asked if they knew of suitable venues for hosting meetings. Cllr Brenda Maitland Walker suggested West Somerset House.