Bridgwater Town Council Announces Progressive Budget for 2025-26

Bridgwater Council Chamber. Scene of the 2025 Budget Set

Across Somerset, Town & Parish Councils are setting their budgets for the year ahead. The backdrop to this is the continued collapse of Lib Dem run Somerset County Council who are shedding jobs, cutting services and selling off assets. The climate everyone is living in is the past 14 years of Conservative destruction of the economy and the devastation of local government while the cost of living has risen causing real hardship. The challenge facing local councils is to join in with those cuts and closures or to make a stand on behalf of their citizens and save jobs, protect assets and maintain services. This was the decision that Labour run Bridgwater Town Council took.  On Thursday 23 January, Bridgwater Town Council approved its budget for the financial year from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 at its Full Council meeting. This decision saw a small rise in the precept with people in Band A being asked to contribute an extra £1.48 a week towards local services rising to those in Band D requiring an extra £2.23. Town Council leader Brian Smedley described the budget as ‘progressive and necessary to protect services, jobs and community assets.’

Services provided by Bridgwater Town Council

This decision follows months of planning, where committees meeting in public carefully assessed priorities to ensure the budget maximises benefits for the community. Bridgwater Town Council further operates an innovative system of Forums where councillors, officers and members of the public meet and can make recommendations back to the council.

Significant Transformation

The 2024/2025 financial year marked a significant transformation, with Bridgwater Town Council successfully taking on key services devolved from Somerset Council after that council declared a financial emergency. This ensured essential services continued without disruption, reaffirming the Town Council’s dedication to supporting its residents during challenging times.

The approved budget focuses on improving quality of life across Bridgwater, enabling the council to:

  • Enhance Local Amenities: Increase grass-cutting frequency, improve residential street cleaning, and upgrade recreational spaces.
  • Engage Young People: Expand detached youth work programs to reduce antisocial behaviour and support young residents.
  • Invest in Infrastructure: Commit to upgrades such as pathway repairs, improved lighting, and the enhancement of recreational facilities, including Multi-Use Games Areas (MUGAs), promoting accessibility and enriching daily life.
These are the bands across the top 4 Somerset Towns.

Of the 17,560 properties in Bridgwater, 16,303 (92.84%) fall into Council Tax Bands A-C. These households will see only modest increases:

  • Band A: £1.48 per week (covering over 8,900 properties)
  • Band B: £1.73 per week
  • Band C: £1.98 per week
  • Band D £2.23 per week

Critical Services

These contributions fund critical services that directly benefit residents. Bridgwater Town Council is committed to delivering value while building a stronger, more connected community. Alongside maintaining current services, the budget will allow for:

  • Expanded youth engagement programs to promote positive opportunities for young people.
  • Introduction of new initiatives such as the Play Day event, aimed at fostering community engagement and recreation.
  • Enhanced residential street cleaning to ensure cleaner neighbourhoods.
  • Continued support for local events and initiatives that bring residents together.
  • Continued funding for 60 CCTV cameras across Bridgwater to ensure a safer environment.
  • Regular maintenance and safety checks keep parks clean, accessible, and enjoyable for all.
  • Support for local initiatives, in 2024, the council awarded grant funding to 33 local groups and individuals, empowering grassroots projects and strengthening the community.

This budget represents more than just numbers, it is an investment in Bridgwater’s people and future. Every pound spent is dedicated to creating a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant town where all residents can thrive.

Preserving Jobs

Council Leader Brian Smedley at Re-Creation, Hamp, one of the community assets the Town Council has saved.

Councillor Brian Smedley, Leader of Bridgwater Town Council, stated: “In Bridgwater, we provide more services and own more assets than any other town or parish council. We are committed to preserving jobs, maintaining services, and protecting the assets that our community relies on. With nearly 9,000 dwellings in Band A and just 800 in Band D, our town has unique needs compared to other towns in Somerset. Despite the challenges posed by the formation of Unitary Council for Somerset, the Town Council is dedicated to continuing its work for the benefit of our residents and so we are asking the majority of Bridgwater residents—those in Band A—to contribute just £1.48 more per week, and those in Band D, £2.23 more. This small increase ensures that our parks and gardens remain open, our streets stay clean, and our community buildings remain active. Your Town Council is here, working from your Town Hall, to deliver these essential services.”

Tories Go Ballistic

For the first time ever the Town Council meeting was attended by a BBC cameraman and filmed. Alongside him sat the Tory group leader’s ‘personal cameraman’ so he could get their take on the meeting out to social media as soon as it had finished.

The Town Council precept in figures

Cllr Smedley commented “The Conservative group of 3 voted against the budget yet didn’t provide a budget of their own or even any amendments.  Acting Tory Leader, Diogo Rodrigues,  launched into a series of filmed attacks on the Town Council  which he then posted all over social media. His only point seemed to be that we’d refused ‘consultation’ so he must have missed earlier in the meeting where we announced a scrutiny forum for budget matters as it wouldn’t have suited his narrative. I do find it very rich coming from the Tories who have just been kicked out of office because of all the harm they’ve done to this country, county and town, suddenly trying to paint themselves as total innocents. Let’s be clear, the countries in a mess because of 14 years of Tory government, the Counties in a mess because the previous Conservative county council failed to collect enough council tax to pay for services and that’s left the current Lib Dem unitary with a massive problem, which sadly they’re trying to solve by  carrying out what the Tories set them up to do – that’s sacking workers, stopping services and selling off assets. Here in Bridgwater, we haven’t been able to take control of such an important range of services since the Borough was abolished in 1974 and for 50 years Tory Sedgemoor further ran Bridgwater into the ground.”

Cllr Tim Mander, Chair of Amenities Committee

Cllr Tim Mander, Chair of Amenities committee, which is the main committee for delivering the vast amount of new services including keeping open parks and gardens, preserving assets and including the largest workforce, concurred saying I was embarrassed to share a meeting with a Tory Group who voted against the budget without making any attempt to propose an alternative. So, what would they cut? What are their alternatives? Political opportunism will only take you so far but unfortunately the local Tories have little, or no Integrity and their pathetic display was sad to see and witness.”

Cllr Mick Lerry, Chair of Finance Committee

Cllr Mick Lerry, Chair of the Finance Committee which had scrutinised the budget, and which of course included Tories on it if they wanted to raise concerns or put alternatives, said “I had to listen tonight to Tories saying the Council should consult the residents when the budget had to be set. They just used this as an excuse rather than proposing an alternative budget. If they thought the proposal from Labour was too high, then they should have put forward a lower proposal. Instead, they voted against the Labour proposal, which meant they were happy to have no budget for the Council. This would mean an end to parks and grass cutting, no cleaning of the streets and emptying of bins. The Town Hall theatre would have closed and civic pride in Bridgwater would come to an end. “

A new era of civic pride for Bridgwater

Whatever it Takes

Across the county other Towns and parishes were setting their precepts. While increases ranged from 26% in Yeovil to 36% in Burnham to the chart topping 41% in Bruton, it was Taunton that topped the amount of precept raised at £6.6m a third again higher than Bridgwater’s £4.2m. Cllr Smedley reminded the meeting “Bridgwater has 9000 Band As while every other town in Somerset has just 50% of that or less and Bridgwater has just 800 Band Ds while most others have double that or more and Taunton has nearly 4,000. We will not let Bridgwater sink back into neglect, and we will save our town and do whatever it takes to preserve that community spirit of which we’re so proud.”

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Rich
24 days ago

How much is currently held in general reserves?

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