THE Transition Town Wellington group has been awarded a £3,000 grant to help buy tools which will be used in the upkeep and development of Fox’s Field, writes Steve Sowden. 

The TTW group will be playing a leading role in the Green Corridor project now that Wellington Town Council has leased 64 acres of land from the Somerset West and Taunton Council and it will see the Fox’s Field area used for a number of things including allotments, nature conservation, forest gardens and a community farm. 

Members of Wellington Town Council’s finance committee approved the TTW grant application at their meeting on April 17 with a £3,000 grant to be used on the funding of leaflets, signage and tools. 

But not all councillors were happy to support the application and claimed the TTW group was going to the town council for funding too regularly – only recently it had successfully gained from the authority £4,500 for a secure lock-up style shipping container facility on Fox’s Field and a further £2,000 to pay for the installation of an area of hard-standing. 

Cllr Marcus Barr said: “They seem to keep coming back to us for grants. I don’t have a problem with it, but there are other worthwhile organisations out there who need money, but they don’t come forward and ask us so you could say that’s their fault. 

“But Transition Town Wellington is always coming back to us and it seems as if we are their first port of call.” 

Cllr John Thorne added: “I think Cllr Barr has been reading my notes because I’m not comfortable about this either. Transition Town are taking Wellington Town Council for mugs. 

“Transition Town says they haven’t been for a grant since April 2021 and then before that in October 2019, but they’ve also had money from us in recent months for a shipping container and money to pay for an area of hard-standing. 

“They are coming back and asking for a little bit at a time. If they came to us originally for £10,000 in one go there would be raised eyebrows. They have been coming to us too readily and they see us as a soft touch.” 

Cllr Thorne added: “I don’t mind granting Transition Town some of the money, but not £3,000; let them do more themselves. I’m not a great supporter of the group, but I appreciate that they do a great lot of work.” 

Cllr Janet Lloyd said: “We should give them the money. If they are going to look after that land for us, we should give them the money.” 

Cllr Mike McGuffie added: “It is clearly in the benefit of the town – there are start-up costs for this.” 

And Cllr Andrew Govier said: “I understand the concerns of Cllrs John Thorne and Marcus Barr, but when I see the amount of work Transition Town put in and the time and energy, I think I’m happy with this. Anything to encourage this group needs our support.” 

Cllr Barr stressed that “Transition Town does a wonderful job” but said he was just concerned about the level of funding support being given to the group. 

Councillors voted in favour of awarding the grant application.