New guy on the block
We are delighted to welcome our new council member, Glenn Coombs, who was co-opted at the Full Council meeting on 3rd October. Glenn has a keen interest in planning issues and amenities for all. We are very much looking forward to working with him. We now have a council membership of 10 with 3 vacancies, so if you too are interested in becoming a parish councillor, do get in touch!
Great service
Many thanks to Sherborne company Bill Butters Windows for responding so quickly after one of the panels of the toilet door at Springfield rec was vandalised in September; the repair work was completed very quickly and at no charge to the Parish Council.
Warm as toast!
Three new electric heaters have been installed in the Town Hall’s Community Room which will be much more efficient and economical than the old heaters. Visitors to the Library and other users of the Community Room should really feel the benefits as the colder weather sets in!
| Bus It for ‘Less than a latte’ and safeguard services Bus It for ‘Less than a latte’ is the message from Somerset Council as it kicks-off a campaign to drive up passenger numbers on four key bus routes. The campaign is being launched with news that the £2 countywide fare for any single journey is set to continue to December 2024 thanks to continued Government support announced this week. The latest round of the ‘Bus It’ campaign – supported by bus passenger group the Somerset Bus Partnership, aims to support four at risk First Bus South routes serving Taunton, Yeovil, Minehead, Dulverton and Wincanton. Working with the bus operator, Somerset Council will be targeting communities along the at-risk routes, raising awareness of the services and highlighting the affordability of bus travel and the many other upsides of leaving the car at home. Any single bus fare in the county still costs just £2 thanks to ongoing Government support – less than the price of latte from most high street coffee shops. Figures show that bus use has increased by 32 per cent across the county between January and June 2023 thanks to initiatives such as fare capping. The Council has stepped in to subsidize the struggling 54, 58/58a, 25 and 28 services until the end of March 2024. But, in the face of massive budget pressures, it cannot commit to supporting the service from April. Unless passenger numbers rise significantly and the services become financially viable for First Bus South, which operates Buses of Somerset, the at-risk services might be reduced or stopped completely. The following services (relevant to Milborne Port) require additional financial support, which the Council can only provide temporarily thanks to the Government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus funding (BSIP Plus): 54 Yeovil to Taunton 58/58a, Yeovil to Wincanton. First Bus South has signalled that it will review the routes before the funding ends next year, taking into account new data on passenger uptake. |
| Parish Council Meetings in November Full Council: Tuesday 7th; Planning and Environment Committee: Tuesday 21st; Management: 28th. Meetings take place in the upstairs chamber of the Town Hall and start at 7pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend and can address the meeting with questions or comments from 7-7.15pm. |
