More than 100 representatives from grassroots councils across Somerset will gather at a conference in Bridgwater next week to learn more about plans for the new Unitary Council in Somerset that will be launched in April 2023.
The one-day conference at the J24 venue on Thursday 7th October will give town, parish, and city councils the chance to hear first-hand from Somerset County Council, Mendip District Council, Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset West and Taunton Council, and South Somerset District Council about the vision for the new unitary council and to contribute to planning how it will deliver local services.
There will be more detail on the proposed Local Community Networks (LCNs) – an explanation of what they are and how they would work as committees of the new council’s cabinet – formal structures with real constitutional power.
Break-out sessions are on the agenda covering key topics including elections and structural changes and the important role of the voluntary and community sector.
Speakers will include representatives from Local Authorities, Spark Somerset and Wiltshire Council, and the event will be chaired by Cllr Faye Purbrick, the county council’s lead member for local government reorganisation.
