News from across the Council

A new Re-use Shop in Glastonbury has opened and will continue with help from Somerset Council and SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK’s Waste Not Somerset Fund. The shop is run by a small group of brilliant local volunteers and opened…

Somerset Council recently welcomed three new members to its Natural Environment Team. A grant from the Government Department of Culture’s Levelling Up Programme has allowed the Council to create these new roles to help enhance and manage green spaces in…

A grant, jointly funded by Somerset Council and its collections contractor SUEZ recycling and recovery, has helped three Somerset community groups thrive. The Best Before Food Store in Wellington, Prodigal Bikes of Crewkerne and Victoria Park Community Centre in Bridgwater…

Somerset Council is launching a consultation today (September 9th), asking for the public’s views on proposals which aim to ensure provision for children with additional needs can secure better outcomes and experiences for children, families and schools fairly and efficiently.…

There is exciting news for the South West’s booming aerospace sector as £236,000 of funding has been secured to create a Future Flight Innovation Zone (FFIZ) in Somerset and Devon. The FFIZ will help to create a safe and environmentally…

Following a successful first round of funding last year Somerset Council is encouraging businesses and organisations to find out if they are eligible for a grant from the UK Government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). The first round saw a…

Somerset Council has been awarded £316,700 of grant funding from Phase 2 of the government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF). The ringfenced money from Sport England and the National Lottery will be used to install new energy efficiency measures in…

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has generously funded Jasmine’s position for the next three years as part of their support for the “Uncovering Ham Hill’s Past for its Future” project. It aims to safeguard and restore key archaeological features, including…

Somerset Council Leader Bill Revans has welcomed today’s news of additional funding for local councils but stressed it does not fix a fundamentally broken system and won’t be enough to fill a £100m budget gap for next year.   The Government…

Somerset Council Leader Bill Revans has welcomed a letter sent today from more than 40 MPs calling for an urgent rethink on council funding plans. The letter, from the County Councils Network (CCN) and County All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)…

Somerset Council has received £1.5m in external funding which could be used to deliver the next phase of a cycling and walking route on the A39 between Carhampton and Minehead. The ring-fenced grant from Active Travel England could see the…

Somerset Council has secured £9.6m of Government funding to deliver phosphate mitigation measures which will unlock the delivery of new homes across the area and provide for long term nature recovery. The award comes after the Council working in partnership…

Confirmation of a below national average increase in funding for Somerset Council has been described as ‘bitterly disappointing’ by Leader Bill Revans. As part of the Monday’s Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government announced a 6.5% increase in Core Spending…

Willow Man receives study funding boost as public engagement starts A plan to revive the once-iconic Willow Man sculpture has received a funding boost from National Highways, the company responsible for England’s motorways and major A roads. Willow Man, close…

The Leader of Somerset Council has written to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), calling for urgent action to fix the social care funding crisis. In his letter, Cllr Bill Revans…

Somerset Council has been awarded £211,208 from the government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (Phase 1). The money will be divided across five swimming pool facilities within Somerset at Frome Leisure Centre, Shepton Mallet Lido, Wells Leisure Centre, Brean Splash and…

Selling properties, increasing Council Tax further, and reducing services are among options being considered as Somerset Council faces up to a £100m funding blackhole. Latest budget figures which go before Somerset Council’s Executive on 8 November are expected to show…

Somerset Council launched a new consultation, asking for the public’s views on some of the ways education is funded. In Somerset, £568m is spent on education each year and supports 70,000 children and young people in the county. The consultation…

Local businesses can now take advantage of some of the busiest spots on Somerset’s road network to advertise socially responsible goods and services. Somerset Council is one of the first local authorities in the UK to develop an ethical advertising…

Somerset Council is hoping to secure Government funding to deliver phosphate mitigation measures which will unlock the delivery of 18,000 new homes across the area and provide for longer term nature recovery. The Council working in partnership with the Farming…