Council considers 'drastic action' to fix finances

Somerset Council is working to fix its financial emergency

A council could take "drastic action" to help bridge a financial gap of £80m.

Somerset Council is considering selling a number of non-operational buildings and small parcels of land which hold development potential, as well as landmark buildings like the Market House in Taunton and the Cornhill in Bridgwater.

The proposed sites have a combined value of between £17m and £21m.

Bill Revans, the leader of the council, said: “We have worked incredibly hard to reduce our spending and have never shied away from taking difficult decisions to find savings across all service areas."

The local authority declared a financial emergency in November 2023.

It had been expecting an estimated budget gap for 2024/25 of £42m but said in November that the forecast had increased to £100m.

The council said the costs of delivering services, particularly adult social care, were rising significantly faster than income.

It also blamed national factors such as inflation and higher interest rates.

'Heartbreaking decisions'

Mr Revans will also be writing to the new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to highlight the challenges facing local councils.

He will also call on the new cabinet to take urgent action to prioritise local government, as well as a requesting a meeting with Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Mr Revans said: “We’ve worked in partnership with city, town and parish councils to protect services and assets as far as possible but as this report shows we continue to face heartbreaking decisions that will have a visible and lasting impact on our communities.”

A meeting will be held on Wednesday to discuss the proposals, as well as the £100m budget gap for 2025/2026.

The report and recommendations will then be presented to the Executive for a final decision on 7 August.