A community takeover bid of Milverton's Globe Inn is said to have 'slowed to a crawl.'

William Waddington, chair of the resident's group which is looking to buy out the pub, made the revelation in an update to supporters. He said:

"it is taking far longer than the group originally envisaged to set up the Community Benefit Society (CBS). It’s a bit like buying a property. Once outside agencies are involved, in this case the Financial Conduct Authority, progress slows to a crawl! There are also a number of questions that we need to get answers about how a CBS works in practice. 

"And we can’t open a bank account until the CBS is in being. That in itself is another quite lengthy process, with all the security and other checks that is required by banks nowadays. We thought we had a way to circumvent this but it proved to be a blind alley."

But Mr Waddington added progress had not ground to a halt, and insisted "Things are happening.'

A meeting to be held on September 28 will see residents briefed further about the takeover, and given the opportunity to ask questions. Mr Waddington said: "This is probably the biggest challenge the village has faced for a very long time.

"The Globe needs to remain open for the longer term. We cannot do this by ourselves - we need your support. If Halse can do it so can we. So do come to the Victoria Rooms on 28 September at 7.00pm."

The initiative was launched after fears emerged that the village could lose its last remaining pub when owners Mark and Adele Tarry moved on after 17 years of running the business.

In all 105 Milverton residents responded to a poll saying they would support the move to bring the pub into community ownership.

The resident's group was set up to accomplish the task. They consider the community takeover of the New Inn at Halse as an inspiration for the move. The New Inn was taken over by the Halse community during the Covid pandemic in 2022 after almost 200 locals bought shares in the pub. 

The New Inn has since seen a community cafe opened, which is regularly used by dozens of groups and clubs for get togethers. 

In the same vein Milverton residents hope that The Globe can be retained as a community hub, providing a space for local groups and local people to gather.