THE Firepool site in Taunton, a scrap yard and several business units make up a Somerset council’s investment portfolio which is worth nearly £22M.

Somerset West and Taunton Council has published details of its current property investments but has declined to divulge how much it earns from these investments through rental income.

But it has committed to increasing the amount it invests in commercial property by up to £100M by 2024/25 – with the rental income these investments generate being used to fund front-line services.

The list was published as part of a wider report on the council’s investments and capital budgets ahead of the full council budget meeting in Taunton which was held last Wednesday.

The properties in question were all owned by Taunton Deane Borough Council or West Somerset Council, and were officially transferred over the new council when it took control before last year’s local elections.

Among the eight main properties which the council owns as an investment is four units at the Blackdown Business Park, Scott’s Lane, Wellington. These small business units are nestled among residential streets in Wellington, behind the town’s Waitrose and near the Princess Royal sports complex. Auto Repairs Wellington, G M R Design UK and Precision Paint all have their bases there. Value: £1.333M.