THE new proposed budget for the unitary Somerset Council has now been published.

The proposals will be the first time the services and costs from all four district councils and the county council have been brought together.

Liz Leyshon, deputy leader of the council and executive member for finance and human resources, said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for most council budgets in the country but particularly so in Somerset, where we have been bringing together five council budgets into one.

"However, without the saving and efficiencies a new unitary council will bring, it would have been even more difficult to set a balanced budget for the next financial year.”

The council proposes to increase council tax by under five percent - less than half the current rate of inflation.

As a result of these proposals, the council tax proposed for a Band D property will increase by £78.24 each year, or £1.50 per week. 

The council will be bringing forward an Exceptional Hardship Fund to support households in need of further support.

The total budget for the new council will be £491.37 million, a rise of £36 million over the budgets of the five councils the new Somerset Council replaces. 

The council has said it has faced three significant challenges is setting budgets this year:

  • the impact of inflation on the cost of providing services
  • the rising demand for care services post-pandemic
  • the need to use agency staff to cover statutory services.

Cllr Leyshon said: “Post-Covid, the rise in demand for care services, and the rising cost of meeting that demand, has been striking.

“The new Somerset Council will, of course, protect the services that touch most lives in Somerset and will continue to prioritise support for our most vulnerable residents.

"Pressure on care services dominates all budget setting in local government this year."

Cllr Leyshon concluded: “We know that reform of social care services depends on effective forward planning by Government, enabling local councils to also plan further ahead.

“Until that planning comes forward from the Government in a coherent form, councils, including Somerset Council, will continue to experience huge challenges in setting balanced budgets.”

Consultation into the proposed budget runs until February 10th. For more information, click here.