Posts by Cllr Claire Sully
Batcombe’s Carbon Footprint Shock
When a group of villagers in Batcombe decided to explore ways of being more environmentally friendly, they discovered a big shock. Using an online carbon footprint tool, Batcombe residents were able to work out that the carbon footprint measure per household in their Parish was over double the amount of the UK average. When compared…
Read MoreFood savings on the door step
This evening I helped deliver food, that would have been thrown away from a busy village shop, to people who could made good use of It. These days shops and supermarkets encourage community groups to take and distribute unsold food. Having “saved” food delivered to people’s homes has advantages for people who can’t leave their…
Read MoreA Batcombe Breakfast
The tiny single-track roads, that flow into the village of Batcombe can often take a traveller in many directions. It seems I’ve never reached this village the same way twice, as you glide in the steep valley of the River Alham (5 miles south-east of Shepton Mallet) through tiny hamlets, on undulating roads. Batcombe village,…
Read MoreNational Press Support Evercreech Couple’s Plea for Help
Since my blog article about Teddy’s and Sossa’s desperate situation, The Daily Mirror, Daily Express and Somerset Live have all covered their story. Their GoFundMe page has seen an incredible response since this wider publicity, achieving their first fundraising milestone and they are about to hit their next target. Teddy and Sossa are constituents in…
Read MoreSomerset’s Local Community Networks – Time to Have your Say!
A public consultation on the development of Local Community Networks (LCNs) launched this week. It will run for six weeks until Monday October 17th 2022. I’ve put together some key points, which I hope helps lead you into the consultation process.
Read MoreBaltonsborough Shop Closure
Myself, Councillor Alex Wiltshire and Councillor Sarah Dyke (also Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Somerton and Frome) spent much of the day in Baltonsborough, helping the community come to terms, consider options, since the sudden announcement of the closure of Balsbury Shop. We attended the village meeting, listening to concerns and ideas for a way forward.…
Read MoreWe need to talk about farming!
While I was out and about in Mendip South recently, I was conversing with a local Dairy Farmer. He told me that he was one of the last Dairy Farmers in the village (where we met) and that many of his generation were leaving farming for good, while younger folk weren’t stepping up into the…
Read MoreWhen bureaucracy harms
Should bureaucracy, whether intentionally or not, cause people to suffer? This is the discussion I have been having with Teddy and Sossa, who along with their four-year old son live in Evercreech, Somerset, (a village near Shepton Mallet) that I represent. We know many people are suffering because of the cost of living crisis, in…
Read MoreOn or off the Buses!
Earlier this year Somerset County Council bid for £163m to improve rural bus services, however the Government has only offered just £11.9m, just over seven per cent of what Somerset County Council estimated would be needed. Patronage on local bus services across the county fell dramatically during the pandemic. This has not recovered with passenger…
Read MoreSally Atkins – celebration of a life of a popular lady
Today, I attended a coming together to celebrate the life of Sally Atkins of Ditcheat, formally of Stoney Stratton. Sally was a cornerstone of the community, and a hugely popular person. This was evidenced by the large numbers who joined her family today at Castle Cary Rugby Club. Sally was always encouraging and interested in…
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