What’s next?
Next steps
The official Government consultation into changing the way local councils in Somerset work has now closed. You can see Somerset County Council’s response to the consultation where we highlighted seven areas of concerns in regards to the Stronger Somerset case in the Executive Summary below or go to our questions and answers page to see the response in full.
Consultation Feedback Executive Summary
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government will review both business cases and consider all the comments and feedback received as part of the consultation over the coming months. He will make a final decision on what local government structure is right for Somerset. This is expected in the summer, the timeline can be found here:
Following the completion of the Government’s official consultation, the four District Councils in Somerset agreed to fund and carry out their own opinion poll. We will not be participating in this exercise for the reasons stated in this letter sent to council leaders on 30 April 2021.
How to get involved
It is important that we use the time now to start to plan for the future of services in the county in detail, whatever happens. It is essential that the people of Somerset are informed and involved in this process at every stage as we work to create a council(s) that can deliver for the people of Somerset now and into the future. The business case we submitted to Government sets out the plan and vision for a single council across Somerset, and we will be asking for your views and involvement as we develop and implement detailed plans for the future of local services.
If you haven’t done so already, you can sign up for our One Somerset newsletter here for regular news and updates about the process and to get involved in surveys and events to help shape our new council.
In recognition of the once in a generation opportunity that a change in local government in Somerset brings, we also plan to establish a series of consultative groups, covering every part of the county, so that the views of residents can be fed into this process over the next 18 months. This will be important in helping us to shape any future council with the input of residents and our communities at its heart.
Contact us
If you would be interested in receiving further information, attending a future briefing session or in becoming involved in one of the consultative groups, then please do contact us directly at [email protected] or by writing to: One Somerset, County Hall, Taunton TA1 4DY.
We hope you will join us and be a part of Somerset’s future and work with us to shape it.