Shepton Mallet council may take on more local services

By Laura Linham 20th Apr 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 20th Apr 2026

Shepton Mallet Town Council has said it may need to take on more local services and assets as Somerset Council continues to face pressure on its finances and resources.

In its 2025-26 annual report, the town council said it had already stepped in to support a number of facilities and warned that more responsibilities could be passed down in future.

Among the services already taken on are the town centre toilets on Commercial Road and control of the Friday Charter Market. The council said it had also continued work to grow the market and support a series of Sunday markets in the town.

The report says Somerset Council has already offered multiple pockets of land in Shepton Mallet for the town council to take over because it does not have the resources to maintain them. It adds this could also include the management and ownership of West Shepton Playing Fields.

Town councillors said the issue would become increasingly important if Shepton wanted to avoid seeing local services decline or disappear altogether.

The report also points to wider financial pressure on the authority, with the council saying it had made budget provision in case of any reduction in street cleaning services. It also had to find substantial funding to upgrade the town's CCTV system to prevent the existing system from being switched off.

Council leaders said the changes reflected a wider shift in local government since the move to a unitary authority, with less funding and fewer resources available at higher tiers.

Despite that, the town council said it had tried to keep its own precept rise modest for 2026-27, while continuing to support local services, events and community projects.

The annual report paints a picture of a council preparing to do more at town level, as pressure grows on Somerset Council and decisions about future services move closer to home.