Glastonbury and Somerton MP calls for GP guarantee

By Laura Linham 17th Apr 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 17th Apr 2026

Sarah Dyke has called for a new "GP guarantee" to make sure housing growth in Glastonbury and Somerton is matched by investment in local surgeries.

The Liberal Democrat MP said the move was needed as fresh analysis pointed to mounting pressure on GP services in Somerset, where 13 practices have been lost since 2015 while 11,680 new homes have been built over the same period.

Ms Dyke said many people across Glastonbury and Somerton were already struggling to get an appointment and warned that new developments without the right healthcare infrastructure would add to the pressure.

Under her proposal, new housing schemes would have to include provision for new or expanded GP surgeries, with funding put in place from the outset. That would include the cost of setting up services and helping support GP staffing as communities grow.

She said the issue was especially acute in rural areas such as Glastonbury and Somerton, where distance and poor public transport could already make it harder for people to access healthcare.

Ms Dyke said communities were too often promised new GP surgeries that never arrived, adding that councils needed stronger powers to ensure developers delivered what was required.

The proposal forms part of what she described as an "infrastructure first" approach, aimed at making sure essential services are in place as new homes are built.

Sarah Dyke said: "Too many people across Glastonbury and Somerton are already struggling to get a GP appointment when they need one. Services are under real pressure, and yet we continue to see new homes built without the healthcare infrastructure to support them.

"This is particularly problematic in rural communities such as ours, where many people already face significant barriers to accessing healthcare, such as distance and lack of reliable public transport.

"Time and again, communities are promised new GP surgeries that never materialise. That cannot be allowed to continue. Local people deserve better, and councils must have stronger powers to make sure developers deliver on what is needed.

"That is why I am pushing for a GP guarantee so that every new development comes with the services people rely on. If we are building new homes, which are desperately needed, we must also build the healthcare capacity alongside them."