The boundary of Bruton Town Council’s area
Bruton Town Council is one of the two councils serving Bruton residents. This can lead to a great deal of confusion when people simply refer to “The Council”!
The majority of powers and services, and the Council Tax we pay, is the responsibility of Somerset Council (SC).
Somerset Council, based in Taunton, is the largest authority and is responsible for schools, roads, children’s services and libraries, planning, waste services and many leisure facilities.
Bruton Town Council has the smallest budget and most restricted remit of the three, but it is also the most local, focussed entirely on the needs of Bruton parish. In the interests of transparency, the Town Council Finances are available to view on the website. The key responsibilities for Bruton town Council include:
- We are lease holders of Jubilee Park
- We give a local view of all planning applications in the area to SC
- We fund the town community office
- We take the lead in transport planning, in particular road safety
- We give grants to local organisations and events, including the Packhorse Fair and Spiral of Light
- We take the lead in providing parking facilities in the town
- We maintain a number of public spaces, including the Crown Green, Bishton Green, Patwell Pump and Abbey Ponds
- We maintain children’s play facilities in the town
- We provide allotments (at Cuckoo Hill and Durslade Community Gardens)
- We maintain St Mary’s churchyard, and the Frome Road cemetery
- We work with other local organisations to devise a plan for Bruton’s growth and development as an excellent place to live, and to implement it
