Somerset Council
Claire Sully – Councillor Update – August
My roles:[Attendance: 100%.]Elected Councillor for Mendip South, Lib Dem, since 5 May 2022.Executive: Associate Lead Member for Community Resilience (Somerset Council Executive)Political: Chair of the Somerset Council Liberal Democrat Group. Committees:Full Council — budget, policy, constitutionPlanning Committee – East (quasi-judicial, predetermination rules apply)Harbour Management Advisory CommitteeOutside body: Somerset Rivers Authority Board Somerset must make its…
Read MoreLate, Non-Existent, No-Show: Can Somerset’s Buses Finally Change?
For a long time now, I’ve been raising the alarm — alongside fellow councillors, our MPs, and the tireless Somerset Bus User Group — that our current bus service model simply isn’t working for the people of Somerset. I’ve seen it up close. Not long ago, I worked with the Bus User Group, MPs and…
Read MoreCllr Claire Sully – Monthly Councillor Resident Update
A Council Rebuilt, the story of Somerset Council, 2023–2026 When Somerset Council came into being in April 2023, it inherited far more than a map and a name. Local government reorganisation, set in motion under the previous Conservative administration back in 2018, had left the new authority facing serious structural and financial pressures from day…
Read MoreHousing targets, local land and what it could mean for your community
As an elected councillor at Somerset Council, I need to share an important update on housing and the Local Plan — local voices are needed now, and this is your chance to shape what happens next. The Government has set demanding housing targets — and Somerset currently has a 2.1 Year Housing Land Supply against…
Read More“The trees are gathering, inviting the humans”
The Somerset Conference of the Trees — 150 people gathered at Orchard Park Farm in Hornblotton, organised by Somerset Council — was exactly the kind of event that reminds you why this work matters. There’s something quietly profound about a conference that starts from the premise that “the trees are gathering, inviting the humans”. Not…
Read MoreA week in a life of a local councillor!
Week of 2–6 June | Mendip South Update Just to give you a snapshot into my week! I’ve been working on behalf of residents throughout. I held a surgery in Pilton today — being available, listening to people’s concerns. On casework: road defect reports submitted, an ongoing street lighting fault in a village followed up,…
Read MoreReporting Back: Local Councillor Report for Mendip South
My roles at Somerset Council: Attendance record: 100% Ageing traffic signals to be replaced across Somerset Somerset Council is replacing 30-year-old traffic signals at Stapleton Cross in Martock, the A37 Lydford Cross Keys, and the B3153 at Lovington. Work begins on 22 June, with phased closures and overnight works running through to November 2026. New…
Read MoreOur Somerset Communities Are Our Greatest Asset
I am truly proud to have been appointed by the Somerset Council Leader to the role of Associate Lead Member for Community Resilience in the Council Executive — a recognition of the community work I have dedicated myself to, and a responsibility I do not take lightly. My role is to support the Council Leader…
Read MoreListening to Croscombe: What a Village’s Road Works Reveal About Highways Resident Communication
I have asked for a review of the A371 road works (Croscombe to Shepton Mallet) at the Highways Improvements Board at Somerset Council. The Board was established by the Leader of the Council to give local councillors a direct route to raise concerns and to ensure residents feel heard. While there are many road projects…
Read MoreThe House on the Hill that shouldn’t be there!
The story of Leonard House, Winters Hill, West Compton — and what it tells us about our planning system. On a hillside above the ancient Somerset village of West Compton, near Shepton Mallet, sits a modern single-storey house with large glass windows that light up the valley at night. Locals have described the glow as…
Read More