Somerset Conservatives have tabled a budget amendment setting out proposals that would invest in frontline services, deliver a balanced Medium Term Financial Plan over time, begin rebuilding reserves and place the Council on a more sustainable footing.
The amendment includes £2.4 million of in-year savings in 2026/27 through holding a limited number of vacant posts, alongside phased workforce savings equating to £26.4 million once fully implemented. It also signals a reduction in agency staff reliance and proposes targeted investment in planning enforcement, additional capacity for SEND, and a recurring uplift for gully emptying and road sweeping.
Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, Leader of the Conservative Opposition, said:
“The Liberal Democrats have failed to manage the finances competently, failed to truly balance budgets, blamed everyone else for their own mess and gone after the wallets of hard-working people.
Now even Government has raised serious concerns about their financial management. We are offering a helping hand so they can finally get their house in order.”
Investing in Flood Prevention, SEND and Planning Enforcement
In 2026/27, Conservatives are proposing to invest more than £1 million in priority areas that residents and parish councils consistently say are not working.
This includes:
- Four additional Senior Planning Enforcement Officers to tackle the enforcement backlog
- An uplift equivalent to four Educational Psychologists to accelerate Education & Health Care Plan delivery for children with SEND
- A recurring £500,000 increase in gully emptying and road sweeping to reduce flooding in local communities
These investments would be funded by £2.4 million of in-year savings through the sensible holding of 60 vacant posts from the 747 full-time equivalent vacancies currently reported.
Councillor Rodrigues said:
“Holding vacancies is not unusual. Services regularly do so when budgets are tight. Our amendment simply plans ahead and applies that discipline at the start of the year rather than reacting later, allowing us to make targeted investments where the Liberal Democrats are clearly falling short.”
Saving £26 Million to Change the Long-Term Direction of the Council
Looking beyond next year, Conservatives are proposing to complete the workforce restructure that was originally promised but never fully delivered. The original Workforce Restructure Programme aimed to reduce the authority’s workforce by 20 to 26 percent. In practice, only 10.8 percent was achieved.
The amendment therefore phases a 15 percent workforce pay bill reduction over three years, 5 percent of the current workforce in each of 2027/28, 2028/29 and 2029/30. Once fully implemented, this could deliver £26,441,184 in recurring annual savings.
Councillor Rodrigues said:
“According to the Council’s own Medium Term Financial Plan, the projected incremental budget gap in 2029/30 is £6.303 million.
Our recurring workforce savings alone would exceed that gap, moving the Council from structural deficit to a projected surplus position within the MTFP period.”
The amendment also instructs a minimum 30 percent reduction in agency staffing. Agency expenditure in 2024/25 stood at £14.2 million, meaning a 30 percent reduction would bring that down to £9.94 million. Conservatives say this is about getting a grip on workforce control, reducing reliance on expensive temporary labour so that more money can be invested in Somerset people, and rebuilding permanent, stable teams.
A Common-Sense Plan for Somerset
Councillor Rodrigues added:
“This is a common-sense plan. We invest in planning enforcement, SEND and flood prevention by making sensible in-year savings.
In the medium term, we finish the workforce restructure that was started but never completed. That permanently lowers the Council’s cost base and changes the direction of travel.
By 2029/30, our recurring savings would exceed the projected incremental budget gap. That is how you move from ongoing financial crisis to long-term stability, while keeping faith with Somerset taxpayers.”
The Conservative amendment sets out disciplined savings, targeted investment in areas where the Liberal Democrats are falling short, and a credible path toward restoring financial resilience without relying on repeated Government intervention or further above-inflation council tax rises.
