Somerset Council

Updated July 18th, 2023 Strike action by Somerset waste collection crews has been called off. This follows a positive ballot response from Unite union members on an improved pay offer from SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, the Council’s collections contractor. All services should be operating as usual. Please present your recycling, refuse and garden waste…

Unite union members working on Somerset waste collections still plan to take industrial action starting from Wednesday 12 July. Further talks between the parties are scheduled for tomorrow morning (11 July). We hope that Unite would put a revised offer to a ballot and suspend strike action pending its outcome. In the event of strike…

Somerset Council is asking residents to sign-up for its new climate newsletter. The new Somerset Council cross-county monthly newsletter was launched near the end of April, and you can sign-up to receive it on the new Somerset Council website. Sent on the last Friday of every month, it will be full of news, project updates,…

Local Community Networks (LCNs) will be the focus for Somerset Council’s community engagement. They will be a conduit for sharing information with communities on the areas, topics, decision making that affect our daily lives. There are 18 LCNs being established across the County. LCNs will help Somerset Council understand evidence-based community priorities. They will bring…

There are currently two separate Government energy payment schemes for Somerset residents, but the deadline to apply is fast approaching. If you heat your homes with an alternative fuel, as many do in our rural communities, then you could qualify for Government financial assistance. The first scheme is for those who heat their homes with…

Alex Wiltshire and I were elected as Lib Dem County Councillors for Mendip South on May 5th 2022. We are part of the Lib Dem lead ruling group at Somerset Council. On April 1st, Somerset Council became a Unitary Council, replacing the county and four district councils. Somerset Council, with 110 councillors, will be one…

Have you taken the quiz? The link is here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MendipSouthQuiz For a simple guide to changes at Somerset Council for communities and Parish Councils in Mendip South click here. Answers below – Quiz Link above. Q.1 What is vesting day?A. The date the new Unitary Council takes over the Districts’ responsibilities. Q.2 What services will…

Somerset Council Report, for Mendip South, March 2023 On April 1st, Somerset Council will assume responsibility for all council services in the county. Housing, Social Care, Planning, Highways, Education, Public Health, Libraries, Recycling and much more besides – will all come under Somerset Council. This has been a mammoth task for Somerset County Council, working…

I have had five onsite Somerset Highways meetings in and around Evercreech, since being elected (May 2022). Mendip South communities in Evercreech and surrounding areas, including Stoney Stratton, Ditcheat and Alhampton have been very concerned about recent traffic incidents, including fatalities, on the A371 (including by the Bath and West entrances, Leighton Lane, Pecking Mill…

A public consultation on the development of Local Community Networks (LCNs) launched this week. It will run for six weeks until Monday October 17th 2022.  I’ve put together some key points, which I hope helps lead you into the consultation process.