News in Frome

Bath's historic Cleveland Bridge closes on Monday 28 June for essential repairs.

The work on the Grade II* listed structure, which carries 17,000 vehicles a day, is needed to safeguard its future.

Frome's favourite bookshop has been shortlisted for a special award - now they just need your vote to win - and you only have a few hours left.

Hunting Raven has been nominated as the best bookshop across all of Somerset and Devon in the Muddy Stilleto awards.

Mendip District Council has paid out more than £55 million to support local businesses during the pandemic. And as we ease forward to the potential ending of all lockdown restrictions, there are some final funding streams still available – and worth applying for.

Mendip businesses who are eligible and registered for business rates have until 30 June, 2021 to submit their application for a one-off Restart Grant. So if you haven't already applied for a Restart Grant, don't delay. Apply here: www.mendip.gov.uk/businessgrants

The team at the central Frome Post Office were today (June 22) getting ready to close for good, after no one came forward to take on the franchise.

The busy and much-loved post office counter service is inside the Co-op in the Westway which itself is closing on June 24.

The Frome Housing Needs Survey is now in its final week and campaigning group Fair Housing for Frome are hoping that even more residents will go online and complete the survey before the deadline.

News about the need for more social housing, homelessness, hidden homelessness and soaring rental prices have pretty much dominated the local news for some months now. As Frome gets back on its feet following more than a year of lockdowns the situation has become even more urgent.

The chief constable's second-in-command is set to lead Avon and Somerset Police for six months when he leaves the force in July.

Councillors are due to confirm deputy chief constable Sarah Crew as the interim chief constable when they meet this week.

Frome rail commuters can now buy one of the new Flexi Season ticket from today (June 21) which can be used from Monday 28 June.

Mendip District Council will raise a flag at its head office in Shepton Mallet on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, 26 June.

It is an opportunity for the Council to show its support and celebrate the many men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from those currently serving, to Service families, veterans and cadets.

Six students at Mendip Studio School are in the finals of the Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize.

The six, coming from Radstock, Frome, Peasedown and Shelton Mallet joined together last October to develop a unique idea to introduce electronics to children in rainforest schools. What makes it special is that children in the rainforests will be able to build their own systems to collect that data, which can then be shared with schools globally to help learning and conservation.

The roll-out of Recycle More will not be postponed or disrupted as a result of driver shortages, Somerset waste bosses have promised.

The Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) is poised to begin phase two of its roll-out at the end of June, with 76,653 South Somerset households set to see their bin collections drastically change.