Somerset Council: Five things you need to know about new authority

On 1 April, Somerset will see its biggest shake-up in local government for nearly 50 years.

A new Somerset Council will come into being, which the current Somerset County Council says will free up £18.5m a year. It will be one of the largest unitary councils in England, serving a population of around 571,600 people.

Local councillors asked the government for permission for the move a few years ago.

They said scrapping the county council and four district councils and replacing them with one new council would save money and remove duplication. For example, instead of five council chief executives, there will be just one.

The current county council, which is leading the change, says the single authority will end confusion about which council does what, making it easier for people to get help.

Somerset Council will be in charge of all services currently provided by the county and district councils.

Those include adult and children's social services, highways, leisure facilities, planning and some council houses.

It is replacing Somerset West and Taunton Council, Mendip District Council, Sedgemoor District Council and South Somerset District Council, as well as the county council itself.

The change brings Somerset in line with neighbouring Wiltshire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset councils, which are all unitary authorities.

The Liberal Democrats have a majority of councillors, 61, on the new authority. A total of 110 councillors were elected in May 2022, in preparation for the move to the new council.

The Conservatives are the second biggest party, in opposition, with 36 councillors. They were running the county council when the idea of becoming a unitary authority was put forward.

When Somerset Council takes over most people will notice very little change initially.

The county council says social services will continue to care for vulnerable people, bins will still be emptied and planning applications considered, among other things.

They are going to phase in changes over the next two years, so it might be a while before you notice the new logo outside your nearest council building, for example.

The website will be the same as the current county council one: www.somerset.gov.uk and you'll be able to phone the authority on 0300 123 2224.

The 110 new councillors who were elected in May 2022 will automatically become Somerset councillors on 1 April and serve another four years until the next elections.

So they were able to vote through the budget including setting council tax for the new authority, last month.

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