The Government's announcement of a 1% pay rise for NHS staff is pitiful given all that the NHS has done during the pandemic.

Somerset West and Taunton’s Full Council has passed a balanced budget for the coming financial year despite the challenges of COVID [18/02/21].  

Somerset’s Lib Dems are celebrating a big win for local residents in need of help after the County Council agreed a grant of £400,000 to fund Citizens’ Advice freephone ‘Somerset AdviceLine’.

January provided excellent news for Wellington as Somerset West and Taunton (SWT) have moved to protect the historic Tonedale site.

Firstly, it completed the purchase of Fox's Field, a community-used ground in adjacent to Tonedale Mills to help enhance the field as a community space going forward. This came after collaboration between the Council, Tonedale Mills CIC and Transition Town Wellington. 

Secondly, SWT has successfully had a grant accepted by Historic England for £348,420 bid accepted to begin decontamination and roof repair works of the former Tone Works area as a start towards giving this important piece of heritage a prominent role in the community in the future.

The winning of £14million for Taunton High Street has been hailed by LibDem councillors who launched the original bid as a huge boost for the town, achieved “against the odds” and vote of confidence in the new Council vision, a bid we  described as “ambitious” in your County Gazette at the time. 

This time last year, many of us had never heard of a coronavirus and probably only those with a background in science knew what one was or what it might do. Now, in stark contrast, things are very different and it will most likely be the coronavirus - or more specifically Covid 19 - which will be the thing we all most remember about 2020 in years to come.  Not only has the pandemic created a turning-point in so many ways, but it has made life for all of us, at the very least, complicated and difficult; at worst, it has been a painful tragedy for those families who've lost loved ones.

Yesterday, at a meeting of the County Council, the ruling Conservative Group voted to write to the Government asking them to defer the 2021 county council elections.

Taunton Deane Liberal Democrats have called on Taunton Deane MP, Rebecca Pow, to this week vote in favour of safe and legal routes to sanctuary for vulnerable refugees.

The Taunton Deane Liberal Democrats have called on Rebecca Pow MP to this week back British farming and vote to protect our high environmental and animal welfare standards.

Photo: Gideon Amos meeting with NFU Deputy President Guy Smith in 2019