District Councillor New Year News

Happy New Year to all residents. South Somerset District Council has economic development and growth at the heart of its agenda and this commitment has been further strengthened by the approval of the draft Economic Development Strategy (EDS) which means that the document can now go out for public consultation.

The EDS 2019-28 sets out the vision, key outcomes, priority themes and action plan to deliver economic development over the next ten years in South Somerset; the strategy is to provide a consistent vision with clear objectives and priorities for our District's economy through the whole Council approach and includes having active, positive partnerships with key businesses to support a resilient business landscape, supporting local food and drink producers, promoting and developing tourism and bringing forward suitable land for small business units to provide local employment and entrepreneurial ship.

Public consultation on the draft EDS document will commence shortly and details of how you can have your say will be released soon. You can however take a look at the document now by visiting http://modgov.southsomerset.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=136&MId=2295&Ver=4.

A decision has recently been taken to re-instate the filling of Grit bins and the delivery of Dumpy bags for the current winter season which had previously been cut as part of the County Council's cost saving strategy. This will allow Parish and Town Councils to consider their pre-cepting for next year to cover these costs in future financial years. Whilst it is also hoped to reinstate the 'ten bag per Parish' collection, this has not yet been confirmed and is dependent on further advice from the supplier.

As part of the fire service's ongoing prevention and protection strategy, residents are encouraged to make contact for Home Fire Safety Checks – 0800 05 02 999. Equipment that can be provided for vulnerable people includes smoke and heat detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, hard of hearing alarms and arson proof letter boxes.

Tiffany Osborne
District Councillor
SSDC
tiffanyamosborne@aol.co.uk