HUNDREDS of people currently served by parish councils could be switched to a new town council for Taunton.

Somerset West and Taunton Council supported plans for the new council at a special meeting last night (Thursday, March 3).

A public consultation will be held before the final recommendations are approved.

A set of options drawn up by a cross-party working group was recommended to SWT, including:

  • a single parish be created to serve the currently unparished areas of Taunton;
  • the new parish be named ‘Taunton Parish’ and a parish council be established with effect from April 1, 2023;
  • the first elections to the proposed new council be held on May 6 2023.

The working group recommended several areas within parish councils become part of the new Taunton council including:

  • Comeytrowe parish, meaning the abolition of Comeytrowe Parish Council;
  • Killams Green, currently within Trull Parish Council area;
  • part of the Orchard Grove development currently in Trull parish;
  • the urban area in the Maidenbrook ward of Cheddon Fitzpaine Parish Council, including several sites earmarked for housing development;
  • the urban parts of Staplegrove parish, including the forthcoming development in the north west corner of Taunton;
  • a small southern portion of Kingston St Mary parish, representing part of the proposed Staplegrove East development;
  • Hankridge Retail Park, Creech Castle and the associated Toneway, currently within West Monkton parish.

The group also recommended a number of amendments to the boundaries of some of the parishes in the review including that the remaining Staplegrove Parish area, which will have fewer than 37 electors, is merged with Kingston St Mary Parish.

The working group will consider all comments in the upcoming consultation before making its final recommendations.

The group's chairman, Cllr Derek Perry, said: “The central area of Taunton is the only part of the whole county of Somerset not to be parished as a result of local government reorganisation in 1974.

“With the current reorganisation of local government in Somerset underway, we recognise the need to establish a council for Taunton which reflects its recent growth, giving residents a distinctive and recognisable community that they can clearly identify with.

“It’s important to us that they continue to engage with the consultations and take the opportunity to have a say in how they are represented and governed at local level.”

Although the terminology in the report says 'parish council', it is anticipated it will change its name to Taunton Town Council once established.