Officer regeneration

Mendip's remaining three Area Regeneration Officers (AROs), who were left in post after the district council's recent job cuts, will be given a new name, a wider remit and be part of a new district-wide team.

They will now be known as EROs – Economic Regeneration Officers – and instead of focusing on the area's five towns, as they did when there were five officers, they will be part of a larger Economic Team.

The three EROs are Ros Wilkins, Katy Graham and Dominique Swain.

At last week's Central Mendip Community Partnership meeting, councillors heard that in the past the five AROs were often seen as dedicated town centre officers working for one particular patch.

This would no longer be the case, the meeting heard.

They will now work as part of a district-wide team which also includes a business support officer and a major development projects officer.

Cllr Alastair Glanvile said the former AROs had a difficult job, being "neither fish nor fowl".

He said conflicts has arisen with other officers in the council doing exactly the same jobs.

"But all that is in the past, and Mendip will now have an extended economics team that will benefit everyone," he said.

The meeting heard that the officers would still be putting a lot of effort into the district's markets.

Councillors welcomed the news that so far 10 village shops in Mendip had expressed interest in the chance to take advantage of the council's new retail advice scheme to help them combat the economic climate.