WELLINGTON Town Council is looking at spending £7,400 on helping to promote the town to a wider audience – although some councillors have questioned as to what there actually is to promote about the town.
The council is keen to be involved with Visit Somerset, run by the Somerset Tourism Association, which helps to advertise the county as a destination for holidays, short breaks, and day visits via online, social media, conferences, and newsletters.
But it would come with a cost and councillors have been given a list of packages varying in price and services with the most expensive coming in at more than £7,000 a year.
Councillors heard that going for the most expensive option would provide the council with ‘advice, time, and consultancy’ and that Visit Somerset chairman Giles Adams would personally help to take Wellington forward.
Cllr Keith Wheatley told an economic development committee meeting: “Giles knows what he is talking about and can help us in the right way.”
But the mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd, said they were talking about ‘eye-watering amounts of money’.
Cllr Lloyd said: “I thought this was more for promoting hotels and B&Bs and we have not really got those here.
“I do not think we can use this to the full extent.”
A cautious Cllr Steve Mercer said: “I support the idea of promoting our town – but what actually is there to bring people in?
“I am relatively new to Wellington, but what is there to do in the town?
“What are we trying to promote?”
Cllr John Thorne said: “We would need to work on the branding of Wellington.
“I like the tag line of ‘Enjoy Wellington, where life goes slow’, which might attract people from the cities where life is so fast paced.”
Cllr Wheatley said it was not about getting people to come on a fortnight’s holiday to Wellington, more about encouraging people staying elsewhere or travelling on the motorway to stop off in Wellington for an hour or half-day, or doing more than spending their entire time in Waitrose.
He said: “We want people to come into Wellington and do a few things, so we need to make people more aware about the town.”
Cllr Lloyd quipped: “I suppose we have got a Wetherspoons pub, but so has Taunton, Timbuktu, and everywhere else.
“If we want people to mooch about in the town, I just cannot see it happening, because we have not got the attractions.”
Cllr Mercer said: “We would need to do some evaluation of the project.
“The mayor has made some valid points.
“Wellington is calm and quiet and it is a lovely place, but if you want calm and quiet, you would go to the middle of Dartmoor.”
Cllr Wheatley said: “I think after a year we could have a review of what work has been done and if there have been some gains.”
The committee voted by a majority in favour of recommending next month’s full council meeting to approve the £7,400 package.