THE first anniversary has been marked of Wellington Town Council taking ownership from Somerset Council of the town’s park and other green spaces

The move has been universally welcomed by residents who have frequently used social media platforms to praise the town council’s work over the past 12 months.

One resident, amid fears the unitary authority might be allowed to raise council tax by 11 per cent this year, said she would not mind paying as long as the money went to the town council because of the good job it had been doing.

A town council spokesperson said it was hard to believe ‘it has been a whole year since we took on the services and assets’.

The spokesperson said: “What a year it has been.

“We have worked hard to protect the things our community cares about, while also starting to shape a more local, people-focused way of doing things.

“Our park and open spaces around the town are looking better than they have for a long time thanks to a team who truly care about what they do.

“From new community projects to quicker, more responsive services, this year has really shown what is possible when decisions are made by the people who actually live here.

“Town and parish councils are the closest tier of government to the community and that means we get to be agile, creative, and properly rooted in local life.

“Wellington’s first year on this journey has been a brilliant example of that.

“Here is to doing even more together.”

One of the town’s open spaces, the Swains nature reserve, which is largely looked after by local volunteers, has also recently been judged for this year’s Green Flag award.

The spokesperson said: “Fingers crossed for this community group that works so hard to maintain this space.”