About Somerset Council

The new Somerset Council

Somerset Council came into being on April 1 2023. The new unitary council brought together the services previously provided by the four district councils in Somerset (Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, and South Somerset) alongside the services provided by Somerset County Council.

Somerset Council combines the strengths of the five authorities and provides a single clear voice for Somerset nationally and internationally. It gives clearer public accountability for services in the county and simpler access to them.

The new council has built on the strengths of Somerset’s councils and local knowledge, while having scale to have a greater impact on the issues that most affect the lives of Somerset’s people.

• A stronger voice – A single council has given Somerset a stronger voice when for competing for funding and new jobs, to stand-up for business, support our infrastructure and encourage growth in our county’s economy. We’re also developing our vision for our regional platform through the Heart of Wessex devolution proposal to truly build on our strengths in sectors such as defence, digital, life sciences and clean energy. Devolution will help ensure the success of these sectors in kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower and breaking down barriers to opportunity.
• Better serve our communities – Local people will have real power to influence decisions about their area through the Local Community Networks (LCNs) established across the county. They will decide what’s most important for their locality and work together with other stakeholders and public services to agree how best to achieve it.
• Greater investment in services – Financial sustainability is at the heart of the new council as we deliver an Improvement and Transformation Programme driving improvements which ensure long term financial sustainability and continue to innovate the way we deliver vital services.
• Simpler access to services – We’ve been making accessing council support more straightforward for residents, communities, and businesses as well as working much more closely with key partners where it most makes sense.

In accordance with government legislation, the Unitary Council has:

• Appointed a Leader of Council, who has formed a single party Executive of nine members (together they take key decisions and are responsible for the day-to-day running of the Council)
• Five cross-party Scrutiny Committees:
  • Scrutiny for Climate and Place
  • Scrutiny for Children and Families
  • Scrutiny for Adults and Health
  • Scrutiny for Communities
  • Scrutiny for Corporate and Resources
• A Licensing and Regulatory Committee responsible for the Council’s licensing functions
• A Strategic Planning Committee, along with four Area Planning Committees responsible for the Council’s planning and regulatory functions
• A Somerset Board, for health, care and wellbeing for county involving representatives from several partners

The Unitary Council of 110 elected members is responsible for deciding the democratic arrangements for the Council, agreeing our policy framework and each year’s budget. The current political make-up of elected members is led by a Liberal Democrat administration, and is currently comprised as follows: