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  • Births, ceremonies and deaths
    • Births

      Includes registering a birth and ordering certificates

    • Marriages and ceremonies

      Includes ordering certificates and approved premises

    • Deaths

      Includes ordering certificates and tell us once service

  • Social care and health
    • Fostering and adoption

      Includes applying to adopt, becoming a foster carer and private fostering information

    • Carers

      Includes help, advice and support for carers

    • Adult social care

      Includes information for people who are 18 or over who have care and support needs

    • Help to live at home

      Includes equipment, care and support

    • Children’s social care

      Includes help for families and young people

    • Health and wellbeing

      Includes sexual health, preventing substance misuse and healthy workplaces

    • Public health

      Includes health checks, campaigns and mental health support

    • Safeguarding

      Includes protecting adults and children at risk

    • Housing options

      Includes care homes and sheltered housing

    • Specialist Public Health Nursing

      Includes information about health visitors, school nurses and public health nursing

  • Education and families
    • Adult learning

      Includes information about training courses across Somerset

    • Route1 advocacy

      Providing advice and support to children and young people

    • Choosing a school

      Includes information about catchment areas and admissions policies

    • School applications

      Includes information about applying to start school and moving to a different school

    • School life

      Includes term and holiday dates, exclusions and school activities

    • Childcare

      Includes entitlements, the support available and the latest childcare news

    • Fostering and adoption

      Includes applying to adopt, becoming a foster carer and private fostering information

    • Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

      Includes our Local Offer and the services available

    • School transport

      Includes information about different types of school transport and how to apply

    • Children

      Includes employing children, child protection and corporate parenting

  • Roads and transport
    • Problems on the road

      Includes how to report potholes, flooding and traffic lights

    • Signs and streetlights

      Includes speed limits, road signs and how to report faulty lights

    • Parking

      Includes paying or challenging a fine, blue badges and permits

    • Public and community transport

      Includes bus passes and park and ride information

    • School transport

      Includes information about different types of school transport and how to apply

    • Road projects

      We deliver Major Highway Schemes which have been identified through the Local Transport Plan (LTP) process

    • Rights of way

      Includes footpaths, bridleways and open access lands

    • Road works and road closures

      Includes information about plans for temporary and new works and closures

    • Road safety

      Includes how we work to make our roads safer

  • Libraries, community and leisure
    • Planning for Brexit

      What we are doing to plan for the UK leaving the European Union

    • Libraries

      Includes library membership, services and events

    • Volunteering

      Includes how to get involved in community activities and projects

    • Heritage

      Includes museums, records and archaeology

    • Safer communities

      Includes making your home safer and community safer

    • Community initiatives

      Includes community initiatives and community right to challenge

  • Waste, planning and land
    • Planning

      Includes applying for planning permission and reporting unauthorised developments

    • Waste

      Includes waste collections and recycling

    • Property

      Includes information about county farms and our land and building assets

    • Flooding and drainage

      Includes how we support flood prevention and planning

    • Rights of way

      Includes footpaths, bridleways and open access lands

    • Countryside

      Includes Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, walking and cycling

    • Emergencies

      Includes information about planning for emergencies

  • Business and economy
    • Do business with the Council

      Includes current business and contact opportunities

    • Supporting businesses

      Includes registering as a childminder and support and advice for businesses

    • Procurement

      Includes how we procure goods, services and works

    • Licences

      Includes approved premises licenses and permission for decorations on the road

  • Our information
    • Freedom of information

      Includes how to ask us questions about what we do

    • How we use your information

      Includes the information we hold about you and how we protect it

    • Accessing our information

      Includes Data Protection and the re-use of our information

    • Have your say

      Includes petitions and ongoing consultations

  • How the council works
    • Our plans

      Includes the County Plan and the Business Plan

    • Democracy

      Includes Councillors, meetings and elections

    • Our finances

      Includes our budgeting and spending information

    • Partnerships and Trusts

      Includes how we work with other organisations

    • Our performance

      Includes how we set and meet our goals and your feedback

    • Local Government Reorganisation in Somerset

      The future of Local Government in Somerset

  • Jobs and Careers
  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy notices and cookies

About your new Somerset Council
Your local council and this website will be changing from the 1 April 2023
Read more about the changes here

Home How the council works

How the council works

Includes democracy, our performance and plans, and financial reports

Elections Organisation Charts Senior salaries and pay policy

In this section

Democracy

Democracy

Our finances

Our finances

Partnerships and Trusts

Partnerships and Trusts

Our performance

Our performance

Our plans

Our plans

Democracy

Elections

Upcoming elections, guidance on becoming a councillor, election results and registering to vote

Local Government Reorganisation in Somerset

The future of Local Government in Somerset

Somerset Councils’ submission options for the new unitary Council’s potential electoral arrangements

Join an online meeting

You can use the links on this page to join and observe any public committee meetings

About the Council and its Constitution

You can read more about the Council and its Constitution here

Local government legislation – byelaws

Local laws made by a local council under an enabling power

Member Allowances

View the amount paid to councillors and co-opted members in allowances and expenses

Cabinet Forward Plan

A plan of key decisions taken by the Leader of the Council, Cabinet, individual Cabinet Members or Officers

Civic dignitaries

Details of the Chairman of the Council. the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset and other civic dignitaries

How to become a Councillor

Information on standing for election and becoming a Somerset County Councillor

Complain about a County Councillor

All members and co-opted members are required to comply with the Council's Members' Code of Conduct

Somerset Schools Forum

A channel of communication between the local authority and schools

Taunton Parish Council

Taunton Parish Council covers the previously unparished area of Taunton and parts of neighbouring parishes

Committees, agendas and minutes

Reports and minutes from meetings held and agendas for meetings within the next 7 days

Councillors

Find your councillor and their contact details

Decisions

Decisions taken by the council's decision making bodies, cabinet members or senior officers

Find your County Councillor by postcode

An easy way to find who your Councillor is and how to contact them

Our finances

Organisation Charts

Organisation charts covering staff in the top three levels of the Council

Senior salaries and pay policy

Information about the pay of our Chief Executive and senior managers

Annual Accounts

Council accounts and budget, including our Statement of Accounts

Council Tax information

Where to pay your Council Tax and find website information from 1 April 2023

Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP)

We review our budgetary position each year and produce a rolling 3-year plan

Member Allowances

View the amount paid to councillors and co-opted members in allowances and expenses

Spend over £500

We are required by the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 to publish details of each individual item of our expenditure of more than £500

Council Tax Reduction

From 1 April 2023 Council Tax Reduction becomes the responsibility of the new Somerset Council

Council Tax discounts and premiums

Council Tax discounts and premiums from 1 April 2023

Grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations

Details of all grants to voluntary, community and social enterprises

One Public Estate (OPE) Programme

We have to think of new ways to provide quality customer services

Commissioning information

We want to become a commissioning driven authority

Fraud transparency

Information that we are required to publish by the Local Government Transparency Code 2015

Procurement card transactions

Details of every transaction we make on our Government Procurement Cards

Management of unofficial funds

Council policy for the management of unofficial funds

Housing Services information

Where to find Housing Services website information from 1 April 2023

Discretionary Business Rate Relief

This is currently administered by the District Councils within Somerset - from 1 April 2023 this will become the responsibility of the new Council for Somerset

Business Rates information

Where to find Business Rates website information from 1 April 2023

Paying the council information

Changes to making payments from 1 April 2023

Privacy Notice – Insurance

What we do with your personal data

Benefits information

Where to find Benefits website information from 1 April 2023

Privacy Notice – Finance, legal and governance

What we do with your personal data

Partnerships and Trusts

Somerset Armed Forces Covenant Partnership

A partnership between councils, colleges, health services, charities, the military and reservists

Safer Somerset Partnership

Working to tackle crime, disorder and antisocial behaviour, and to reduce re-offending

Somerset local authorities civil contingencies partnership

Responsible for providing the front line local authority response to an emergency in Somerset

South West Heritage Trust

The trust provide a resilient future for the heritage services of Somerset and Devon

Somerset Water Management Partnership

Provides a forum for consultation and to debate issues around water management in Somerset

The Business Plan

How we will work with partners and communities to deliver the County Council's Vision for Somerset

Our performance

Complaints, comments, compliments

Give us your feedback or make a complaint

Organisation Charts

Organisation charts covering staff in the top three levels of the Council

Public registers

A collection of personal or local geographical data held by the Council in the public interest

Impact assessments

Assessing the impact of our services on our customers and staff

Complain about a County Councillor

All members and co-opted members are required to comply with the Council's Members' Code of Conduct

Our performance

Information on why and how we monitor our performance and our latest performance report

Public sector apprenticeship target

Statistical data on public sector apprenticeships

SiteImprove February 2020

Information on how we monitor and improve this website

SiteImprove January 2020

Information on how we monitor and improve this website

Privacy Notice – Recruitment Data Privacy Statement

What we do with your personal data

Privacy Notice – Volunteering

What we do with your personal data

Privacy Notice – Contact Centre

What we do with your personal data

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

Modern slavery, which includes human trafficking, is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain

Privacy Notice – Customer Panel

What we do with your personal data

Privacy Notice – Corporate Affairs

What we do with your personal data

Our plans

Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP)

We review our budgetary position each year and produce a rolling 3-year plan

Cabinet Forward Plan

A plan of key decisions taken by the Leader of the Council, Cabinet, individual Cabinet Members or Officers

County Business Plan 2021 – 2023

The Business Plan sets out the clear forward direction and priorities for the Council for the period 2021-23

About your new Somerset Council

Find out about the changes on 1 April 2023 and what to expect

Children and Young People’s Plan

We want Somerset to be a place where children and young people thrive and this plan sets out what we aim to do

School Place Planning Infrastructure Growth Plan

Provides data and analysis on the current school provision in each of the county's 20 School Organisation Plans

Equality and Diversity

Equality data - information on the Equality Act and our duties, and our Workforce Equalities Report

Education for Life Strategy

New plans to transform education in Somerset

Trade Union facility time

Information that we are required to publish by the Local Government Transparency Code 2015

Social Media Moderation Guidance

Our online communities have rules and guidelines. We reserve the right to remove any contributions that break the rules or guidelines

Somerset Council – Council Plan 2023 – 2027

Our vision and priorities for Somerset Council

The Business Plan

How we will work with partners and communities to deliver the County Council's Vision for Somerset
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