Somerset Council
“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 MoreMendip South Division — Safety Defect Completions
Report road defects directly online — it’s the fastest way to get them fixed: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/report-a-problem-on-the-road/ If you are reporting a problem outside our normal working hours – Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm – and you believe it is urgent and a risk to public safety, please phone 0300 123 2224. You can also check on a…
Read MoreMy Monthly Report for Mendip South
Planning Application Extensions — Parish Councils Have the Right to Request More Time Following concerns raised with me by Parish Clerks in my division, I contacted planning to clarify the position on extension requests. Parish Clerks had been told that extensions to consultation periods were not possible when requested to align with the timing of…
Read MoreUnder the trees
The Somerset Conference of Trees is being held on June 12th in Hornblotton — the village I grew up in, where my Dad lived until he died in 2016, and which sits within my Councillor division of Mendip South. This division is the landscape of my formative years. After the local elections in 2027, Mendip…
Read MoreA people’s path, in pieces, while determined as a train on the track to be a Somerset Circle.
Have you ever wondered why the Strawberry Line appears in parts of Mid-Somerset in fragments — stops and starts, interrupted with gaps of busy roads? The answer is a history lesson, and a story of remarkable persistence spanning many decades. Recently I attended a packed meeting of the Pilton Village History Group, where Richard Jones…
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