Noticeboard

Fly parking by Hinkley Point C workers continues to be a problem in Wembdon. The contracts of all Hinkley workers stipulate that they must not fly park their vehicles before catching the work buses to the site. If you witness fly parking then you can report this to the Hinkley enforcement team by email or phone. You will need to provide details of the vehicle, including registration number, location and time. Ideally you should take a photo of the vehicle and email this to the Hinkley team. There is no need to report this to the Parish Council as we have no powers to prevent fly parking. The important point is that it should be reported to the Hinkley enforcement team. You can phone the below number, or call Sacha on the enforcement team directly on her mobile number of 07813232358.

Following the resignation of a councillor, a vacancy has arisen in the office of councillor for the Wembdon Ward of the Parish of Wembdon.  The Notice of Vacancy document can be viewed on this link.

To qualify to stand as a councillor a person must be aged 18 years or older and be a citizen of the United Kingdom, any EU Country or any Commonwealth country and also meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Is, and thereafter continues to be, a local government elector in the parish of Wembdon or
• During the whole of the 12 months preceding the date of appointment has occupied as owner or tenant any premises in the parish of Wembdon or
• During the whole of the 12 months preceding the date of appointment has had a principle or only place of work in the parish of Wembdon or
• During the whole of the 12 months preceding the date of appointment has resided either in the parish of Wembdon or within three miles of it.

There are a number of reasons why a person may not stand for this position.  These include if the person:

• Is subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order, or an interim bankruptcy restriction order, or a debt relief restrictions order, or an interim debt restrictions order or
• Has, within five years before the date of appointment, or since being appointed, been convicted of an offence in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man which has imposed a sentence of imprisonment of three months or more (whether suspended or not) without the option of a fine.

Any person who is qualified to stand as a councillor, and is interested in applying for this volunteer position, is asked to email the Parish Clerk at clerk@wembdon.org for further details. The new councillor will be co-opted to the council at uts meeting on 10th July. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 5th July.

Somerset Council has issued some very useful information regarding the waste collection service arrangements in May, along with other helpful information about recycling. To view the briefing notice please click on this link.

Please click on this link to find out useful information about the new Somerset Council, and how to contact them..

The Parish Council has received an email from Post Office Limited which states:

We’re writing to update you about the temporary closure of the above Post Office.

For further information please visit our Consultation Hub via the link below:

Consultation Hub – Wembdon TA6 7PX

Wembdon Parish Council is very sad to learn that the Post Office in Wembdon is unlikely to be reopened. 

If you have any comments, please make them to the National Consultation Team via the link below;

comments@postoffice.co.uk  quoting reference Wembdon TA6  319549

The closing date for the consultation is March 29th.

Please see this press release from the new Somerset Council

The budget for the new Somerset Council was approved today (22 Feb 2023).  

Councillor Liz Leyshon, Deputy Leader and Executive Lead Member for Finance and Human Resources, said: “This has been the most difficult budget setting that any of us can remember. Inflation has been a huge pressure on the cost of providing council services and post-Covid we have seen rises in demand from Somerset residents for very complex support from both Adult Social Care and Children’s Services.”

The budget confirms an overall rise of 4.99% in the council’s share of council tax, made up of a basic rise of 2.99 per cent in council tax and the 2 per cent adult social care levy.  The increase is in line with Government policy and councils across the UK that have responsibility for Adult Social Care and Children’s Services*. 

The first budget for Somerset Council includes substantial increases in funding for Adult Social Care and Children’s Services by £28million and £19 million respectively, to reflect that growth in demand and cost. The new budget provides start-up support for the Local Community Networks (LCN) and has protected funding for the voluntary and community sector.  

Cllr Leyshon continued: “We have had the challenge of bringing five council budgets together into the new unitary Somerset Council. In doing this we’ve been at great pains to defend the frontline services that touch everybody’s lives.

“We are prioritising support for our most vulnerable residents, but we have rejected options to close some of our household waste recycling centres and all of our libraries will remain open with unchanged hours. That won’t be the case elsewhere in the country, but I feel we have a contract with residents, both through council tax and voting, and they expect their council tax to be spent on services available to all. We would have not been able to do this without the savings that have come from the move to a single council.

“Of course, we know a great many residents are struggling to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. We have created a new and simplified Council Tax Reduction Scheme and in creating the new Council we have also expanded the Exceptional Hardship Scheme to the whole of Somerset and increased the funds available for people who need support for the first time, or more support with their household overhead costs.” 

The Council dropped a proposal to remove funding for many parish grit bins after the option was criticised during public consultation and through Scrutiny, and will now concentrate on pilot projects to work with local communities to improve gritting of the secondary network of roads in Somerset. 

The rise in Somerset Council’s share of Council Tax is made up of basic rise of 2.99 per cent in Council Tax and the 2 per cent adult social care levy. 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.  

Please see this information from Somerset County Council:

Please help us get this really important message out in the midst of the cost of living crisis – the Household Support Fund can provide short-term urgent financial help to Somerset residents who are struggling to afford household essentials.

We want to make sure this gets to the people who need it – including those who are hard to reach, so please can you help us by sharing the attached across your networks with colleagues and with any organisations which may be able to share.

We’d really appreciate your help with this – if you have any questions, please contact Communications Team CommunicationsTeam@somerset.gov.uk.

Kind regards,

Suzi Arnold-Fry  

Communications Officer | Somerset County Council
County Hall, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 4DYPress Office: 01823 355020 Mobile: 07855 283440