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Due to the Government guidance on measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), we will holding meetings in a virtual manner which will be live webcast on our website. Members of the public will still be able to register to speak and ask questions, which will then be read out by the Governance and Democracy Case Manager during Public Question Time and will either be answered by the Chair of the Committee, or the relevant Portfolio Holder, or be followed up with a written response.
Minutes:
Mr David Orr submitted the following:-
When this new Council was formed, many Councillors here today lamented that the 2 years in its formation had not addressed the issue of a Town Council for Taunton.
Here we are today with another 2 years gone by and we do not seem to be any closer to a Taunton Town Council. Why is that?
There is an urgency, as it is possible that by July 2022, there will be a One Somerset unitary and then Taunton will be without a Town Council, as well as losing the voice of this District Council.
I believe that the Taunton Town Council area needs to reflect Taunton as it is today and include all of the urban extensions approved i.e. out to Monkton Heathfield to the North and include the Staplegrove and Trull/Comeytrowe extensions too within its boundaries. To avoid a town split by a motorway, my view is that the M5 should be retained as the ongoing settlement and development boundary to the East and to the South.
The existing Unparished Area (with the anomalous unparished wards) is clearly too small to constitute a modern Town Council area for Taunton and this easy option should, in my opinion, be excluded now.
The A358 Highways England least cost and least benefit “Orange route” proposal with a new M5 junction at Killams would have enabled cross-M5 development and brought significant noise and light pollution to affected communities.
Taunton Deane Borough Council championed the impacted communities and lobbied effectively to get Taunton to the better A358 scheme, with substantially higher economic and community benefits, that we have today.
By comparison, the County Council appeared to simply acquiesce in the original A358 “Orange route” proposal and, many of us felt, at best were neutral. Impacted communities did not feel that the County Council were strong advocates for a better A358 scheme.
County Council Highways sits within the Economy, Community and Infrastructure Directorate. That Economics come before Community is, I feel, not an accident but reflects their priorities.
We cannot, for lack of planning and resource, now leave Taunton without any public body representing us within a unitary council that increasingly looks like “continuity County Council”.
Without a Town Council, developers like Taylor Wimpey with 1,100 developable acres at Orchard Portman could exploit our lack of representation and shape Taunton into a Town split by a motorway. The County Council-based new unitary may again prioritise Economics over Community.
Who will stand up for Taunton then?
David Fothergill has assured me recently that One Somerset has a budget for the formation of a Town Council for Taunton.
Bridgwater Town Council was created in 2003 as successors to the Charter Trustees for the Town with the first elections held in May that year. 16 Members represent seven wards.
If Bridgwater managed this 18 years ago why can’t Taunton do this now?
I would urge this Council to form a Shadow Taunton Town Council as a matter of urgency and include Taunton councillors (from parished and unparished wards) in an all-party body.
Thank you.
The Leader of the Council responded:-
Thank you Mr Orr, in relation to the creation of a Taunton Town Council, the work had been started on that and the timetable had been reported to recent meetings of Full Council and the Chartered Trustees. It was the biggest piece of governance work we would be doing in the next year and into the future. I appreciated that you raised the fact that One Somerset had included this in its business case but it was the district that was leading on this and it was included in the Stronger Somerset business case as well. Further information would be reported in future portfolio holder report updates.