Town Council documents show that Midsomer Norton Town Council has not scheduled scrutiny of the final cost of this year’s Town Fayre and Show, held in July 2026.
Back in February, the Town Council took the contentious decision not to fund Midsomer Norton Community Trust this year and decided instead to take overall control of events itself.
Prior to the Town Council’s decision, the Community Trust had successfully run a calendar of popular events for 12 years.
The Town Council’s decision caused the redundancy of the Community Trust Manager and the loss of key volunteers.
Accountability, transparency and financial oversight were all important considerations when Town Councillors took the decision not to fund the Community Trust.
The recovery of VAT was also a major consideration in the decision.
The report presented in February and considered by Town Councillors said that direct Town Council involvement in community events would strengthen “trust” and “accountability”.
Following the decision, the Town Council established a Community and Events Committee. The stated aims of the committee were “to strengthen governance, transparency, and community engagement”.
It was stated that the new arrangements would provide “the strongest balance of financial efficiency, accountability, and community engagement” and would “ensure robust, transparent governance.”
One of the major functions of the Community and Events Committee is to “monitor expenditure against the approved budget.”
Lack of scrutiny
Despite the assurances over accountability, transparency and oversight given by the Town Council in February, the agenda for the September meeting of the Community and Events Committee contains no specific reference to the Town Fayre and Show’s final expenditure, income, VAT position or how the final figures compare with the approved budget.
Without a final account for the Town Fayre and Show, Town Councillors are without an opportunity to fully scrutinise the event’s final income and expenditure.
The lack of an account also makes it impossible to properly compare the cost of direct delivery by the Town Council with the previous arrangement under the Community Trust.
The Community and Events Committee is not due to meet again until November.
The wider question is whether the new arrangements are delivering the financial efficiency, accountability, transparency and oversight that formed part of the Town Council’s justification for not funding the Community Trust.
There is a notable contrast with the standards the Town Council expects from organisations receiving its own funding.
Under the Town Council’s Grants Policy, applicants are expected, within 28 days of completing a funded project, to provide a written report together with documentary evidence of expenditure, including invoices and receipts where applicable.
Yet almost two months after the Town Council’s own Town Fayre and Show, no equivalent final financial account has been placed before the Community and Events Committee for scrutiny.
It could therefore be argued that the level of public financial transparency currently available for the Town Council-run event is lower than the standard the Town Council itself expects from organisations receiving its funding.
Back in January, the Community Trust asked for £9,000 to run the Town Show and Fayre. By June, the Town Council had revealed that it was working to a £10,000 budget for the event.
Earlier this year, the Radstock Times reported that the Town Council was not keeping records of staff hours budgeted for planning and running the event, meaning the true overall cost of the event could not be determined.
Volunteers walk away
In a new report to be considered by the Community and Events Committee, it is acknowledged that Midsomer Norton Community Trust “provided significant support with the organisation and delivery of the 2026 Town Fayre and Show, which was key to the success of the event.”
More significantly, the report warns that planning for next year should not assume that the same volunteers will be available.
It states that “some of those involved” in this year’s event “have indicated that they may not be available to provide the same level of support in 2027”, describing their potential absence as “a huge loss.”
It is understood that almost all of the Community Trust volunteers have now left following the Town Council’s decision.
Clearly, the Town Council’s decision has had a significant effect on the number of Community Trust volunteers still involved.
Residents are therefore left with two fundamental questions: was the Town Council right to stop funding the Community Trust and take direct control of delivering events itself, and have accountability and transparency actually improved?
