SOMERSET Council’s Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Bill Revans said this week the authority was moving from financial crisis into a recovery phase as it approved its 2026-27 budget.

Cllr Revans said several independent reports had shown clear signs the council had a grip on its budget and was on the right track.

He said: “Experts agree this council has grasped the challenges of the financial emergency.

“We have taken the tough decisions needed while prioritising care for the most vulnerable and frontline services, working in partnership with our business community, city, town, and parish councils, the health service, the police, and other public sector organisations as well as the voluntary sector, and we will continue to do so.

“We have stood by our assurances that we will tackle these problems ourselves, rather than look to expensive commissioners appointed by central Government.

“As a result, we remain in charge of our own fate, which means we can commit resources to long-term investment into our area.

“Prosperity pays for all, and we are determined to build a flourishing, sustainable economy in Somerset.

“While we are still in a financially fragile position, we are now in a recovery phase, with the intention of delivering a balanced budget without exceptional financial support next year.

“We are on the right track.”

Councillors heard how the authrity had reduced its projected funding gap in the past year from £101 million last March to £25 million by last month.

They approved a 4.99 per cent council tax increase, meaning the average band D bill will rise to £1,950.30 per year, equivalent to £1.78 per week.

Government permission to either borrow money or sell assets for day to day spending would be used to close the remaining budget gap.

Included in the budget were plans to spend up to £5 million over next three years to smarten up Somerset’s roads, pavements, and cycleways, and an extra £2 million to support households with the lowest incomes.

The council’s Conservative opposition group put forward an alternative budget which it said set out how the authority could begin restoring financial stability while investing in frontline services, but it was voted down.

The amendment proposed a 30 per cent reduction in reliance on expensive agency staff, completing unfinished workforce reforms, and reinvesting savings into key services such as flood prevention, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support, and strengthening planning enforcement.

Group leader Cllr Diogo Rodrigues said it was a constructive proposal and a clear statement of intent for how the council could take a different approach.

Cllr Rodrigues said: “Every year, the Liberal Democrats ask the opposition what we would do differently.

“This year, we have answered that question.

“This amendment costs nothing in consultancy fees and uses the council’s own knowledge and experience.

“Even if the Liberal Democrats choose to vote it down, I hope they will steal some of these ideas to help them repair the council’s finances, and deliver better services for our residents.”