A Frome councillor has urged Somerset Council to ensure that a portion of newly awarded government funding is dedicated to tackling the town’s “unreliable” local bus services.
In December 2025, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that Somerset Council will receive over £24.7 million through to April 2030 aimed at enhancing local bus services. Of this amount, approximately £13.1 million is revenue funding available up to April 2029, intended to help reduce passenger running costs, such as fare caps on popular routes like the Taunton park and ride.
Councillor Dawn Denton, the Conservative member for Frome North, has publicly demanded that some of this revenue funding be directed to serving Frome’s bus network. She emphasized that the town “deserves its fair share of funding” to combat ongoing issues with service reliability and connectivity.
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At a full council meeting in Bridgwater prior to Christmas, Ms. Denton highlighted residents’ struggles, saying, “The transport secretary has made £13.1 million available to Somerset Council over the next three years for our declining bus services. Frome’s residents across all demographics are disadvantaged by poor bus connectivity. Older people, especially from areas like Critchill, must endure waiting outside in bad weather just to get to medical appointments. Young people face difficulty accessing apprenticeships due to infrequent buses. Hospitality workers struggle with unreliable services affecting their ability to commute.”
Somerset Council has indicated that decisions on the distribution of this funding across different local services and areas will be finalized in the upcoming weeks and months.
Additionally, the council revealed plans to use separate central government grants to acquire six more wheelchair-accessible diesel minibuses for the Digital Slinky service, allowing pre-booked transport for shopping, medical visits, and other trips in poorly served rural areas. An extra electric minibus was purchased to support Frome’s route 30 service.
Ms. Denton noted that uptake of the Digital Slinky in the former Mendip district has been low, citing unfamiliarity and the need to pre-book as deterrents. She concluded, “Frome needs targeted transport investment. Please provide transparency on how this £13.1 million will be allocated and the criteria used to determine which Somerset communities benefit.”
The remaining £11.5 million from central government is capital funding for projects like the new transport hub in Taunton and a rural hub in Langport, with use scheduled through April 2030.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, expressed optimism about the multi-year funding settlement but acknowledged that detailed allocation plans are still being developed. “We’ve only just learned the funding amounts and are working through them. I will update members with a breakdown of specific schemes in due course,” he said.