Crime and pavements discussed at length

CRIME and the state of the pavements in Wells were the two main topics discussed at the meeting of Wells City Council on July 27.

Both issues were raised by Rob Bevan of Protec when he addressed the meeting. He said that he was representing more than 90 retailers and 60 market traders, and that everyone had the same issues, with crime and the state of the pavements being the main ones.

He said that he has been retailing for 40 years and that crime in the last two months was probably the worst he has known. Shoplifters were acting with impunity, there have been assaults on shop staff, and he said: “We’ve had enough. Please, we need help. Wells needs help. We need measures to re-establish security and a safe environment, and that goes for the pavements too.”

He said that police tell retailers to log incidents with them but that is time-consuming, and does not result in any action anyway. The WhatsApp group that retailers use is much more effective for sharing information instantly, he said. It could provide a quick link to the police if they joined the group, and most shoplifters could be caught. He said that the retailers would be happy to pay the contract to provide a phone for that purpose to the police.

“Why not change the by-laws so we can detain people until the police arrive?” he asked. “Give us money for our own copper.”

He said that the roads and kerbs are not fit for purpose, they are not being maintained, and they and the pavements, which some vehicles drive on, are a tripping hazard. “I feel we deserve better, Wells deserves better.”

Councillor Georgie Robbins backed up Mr Bevan’s comments on crime, and suggested that the police should be more proactive: “We don’t see the police during the day. We need to see more of them engaging with shops. We’ve already lost shops and we don’t want to lose more shops.”

Councillor Louis Agabani said that when the city council works on its next budget, he is planning to suggest that it considers paying for a PCSO. He also said that the city council could look after its own pavements if Somerset Council delegated responsibility for doing so, and that Somerset Council gets away with not maintaining the pavements because nobody sues them when they have an accident.

Somerset Council councillor Tessa Munt told the meeting that it might be appropriate for the city council to write to the Chief Constable about the local response teams to see whether they are getting pulled to work on operations elsewhere, and for how long this might continue.

She also suggested getting the PACT meetings going again, which the police have to attend, and said it would be helpful if people report falls, and take photos of vehicles on pavements, as heavy vehicles can break the slabs, that then rock underfoot.

Councillor Harvey Siggs said that the paving stones and setts will always break, and wondered whether it might be better to return surfaces to tarmac, which does not look as pretty but is safer and easier to maintain.

Councillor Sarah Powell said that would be expensive, based on her knowledge of tarmacking work at City of Wells Almshouses, where she is a Trustee.

Among other items discussed were plans to expand the 20mph speed zone in Wells. Councillors held a vote, and agreed to pay the £500 cost of initial assessments.

Councillor Georgie Robbins said that she would like Wells to have a first Pride event during Pride month next June, and had been involved in discussions about an event at the Bishop’s Barn. She said that she had been to a Pride event at Glastonbury and it was really successful.

Councillor Jasmine Browne reminded fellow councillors that Wells City Council is not responsible for the “traffic chaos” at the moment, that people who contact them about it should be directed to the city council’s website which makes clear that the roadworks are the responsibility of Somerset Highways, and gives a link for reporting problems.