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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

There have been safety concerns regarding the zebra crossing at Wembdon Rise for a long time. These concerns increased following an unfortunate incident in September 2021 when a young girl was knocked down whilst using the crossing. In response to these concerns Somerset Council Council has agreed to update the belisha beacons on the crossing, and are in dialogue with the police regarding a reduction of the speed limit on Wembdon Rise to 20 mph. However, they have refused the request for the zebra crossing to be replaced by a traffic light controlled crossing. These are their reasons.

• Demand – in short, the volume of pedestrians requiring to cross the road over a 24 hour period must be significant enough to warrant the installation costs and ongoing maintenance costs of a Traffic Light Controlled Crossing.  Although there are 2 daily peak times Monday to Friday during term time associated with school drop off and pick up, this demand would not be the same out of those hours.

• The location is not suited for a Traffic Light Controlled Crossing due to the proximity to Inwood Road junction.  There must be a minimum of 20 metres from any junction.

• A zebra gives pedestrians priority over vehicles, effectively slowing down traffic as soon as pedestrians approach the crossing.  However the responsibility is on both pedestrian and vehicle to pay attention, (this is also important at a signal controlled crossing).

• More pedestrians can safely move on the footway as they will not have to wait for the lights to change.

• Zebras are less intrusive, reduced energy costs and light pollution.

• Maintenance costs of a signalised crossing would be greater than a zebra and there are more costly component parts involved.  These costs increase each year.

Wembdon Parish Councillors send a big ‘thank you’ to all who supported us this afternoon in our campaign to improve the safety of the crossing. We were very pleased to see so many people there.

We hope you have signed the petition which we will be sending to Somerset County Council. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity, you will be able to do so at Wembdon Village Hall on Friday evening (5th November) between 5pm and 8pm, or on Saturday between 10am and 3:30pm. Alternatively, you can register your support online.