The boundary of Bruton Town Council’s area
Bruton Town Council is one of the three councils serving Bruton, Wyke Champflower and Redlynch 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 either Somerset Council.
Somerset Council, based in Taunton, is the unitary authority (since 1st April 2023) and is responsible for schools, roads, children’s services and libraries, planning, licensing, environmental health and many leisure facilities. Waste collections are run by Suez on behalf of Somerset Council.
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. 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 Somerset Council.
- 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
- We take the lead in providing parking facilities in the town
- We maintain a number of public spaces, including the Packhorse Bridge area and Abbey Ponds
- We maintain children’s play facilities at Jubilee Park
- We provide allotments at Cuckoo Hill and Durslade
- We are the burial authority, running the cemetery on at Cuckoo Hill
- We maintain St Mary’s churchyard
- 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
Much of the work of the Council is done through its committees, which you can find out about here.
If you want to know more about the role of town councils in general, you may find this interesting.
