IT was only a year ago that I took on the role of leader of Somerset County Council after the local elections.

It was a tremendous honour then and 12 months later it remains just that. It has been a whirlwind – rewarding, challenging and inspiring in equal measure - but a whirlwind all the same.

Within five minutes of entering County Hall as leader I was being asked what my vision for Somerset was. 

It took longer than five mins to think through and get down on paper, but producing a County Vision - one that has cross-party support – has been a real achievement.

From the starting point of ‘Improving Lives’, we’re building plans that I believe will make a real difference.

Seeing this authority secure an improved Ofsted rating for its Children’s Services was the highlight of the year. 

The result of a huge amount of hard work across the entire authority, much of it before my tenure as leader, this is something to celebrate and our aim remains to take the service to ‘good’ and eventually ‘outstanding’.

We are providing quality services and improving lives across the county, but our work in social care has been particularly exciting.

This is our biggest budget area and our ageing population makes it a real focus.

So, it’s been wonderful to see how we’re blazing a trail with our work on Community Connect, Micro-providers and reducing delays to hospital discharges. 

All of this is fantastic work, much of it involving close working with our colleagues in health, that’s gaining national recognition.

Within the county council, I’m really pleased to the see cross-party support for my decision to start the conversation about potential options for reorganising the way local government is structured in Somerset. 

I know putting this on the agenda earlier this month may have been unsettling, and even worrying, to some staff within SCC and also the district councils. 

That was not the aim of publicising our discussions and I’m happy to apologise to staff in all organisations if that was the consequence.

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In this time of continued austerity, I believe we owe it to residents and taxpayers to look at all ways of working more efficiently and effectively and saving money. 

I will enter these discussions with an open mind and nothing on my agenda except doing what’s best for Somerset residents.

As you’d expect, finance will continue to be at the forefront of our thoughts in the year ahead. 

When we’ve had to take something like £130m from budgets over the last seven years or so, that’s no surprise. 

The cause and effect isn’t complicated: the money we receive has been dramatically reduced, while demand for what we do and the cost of providing it has gone up. 

But it is difficult.

We need to make sure we get the most from every pound that we spend, make efficiencies where we can and, where we need to make savings, limit the impact as much as possible.

Like I say, it’s not complicated but it is difficult. That is the task ahead and it’s one that we will tackle head-on.

CLLR DAVID FOTHERGILL
Leader of Somerset County Council