The number of councillors elected to Somerset's new unitary authority could be slashed by the time of the next local elections.

Somerset Council officially replaced Somerset County Council and Somerset's four district councils (Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West & Taunton and South Somerset) in April, taking on all the functions of the previous authorities in an attempt to streamline decision-making and cut costs.

The first elections to the new unitary were held in May 2022, with 110 councillors being elected and sitting as county councillors before the transition was completed.

Now the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has revealed the number of councillors could be reduced dramatically by the time the next local elections take place in May 2027.

The number of councillors serving on the new council was settled before the 2022 local elections, with each county council division electing two councillors instead of one.

Somerset Council currently has the third most councillors of any upper tier or unitary authority in the country, behind only Buckinghamshire Council (which has 147 elected members) and Durham County Council (which has 126).

The LGBCE has indicated that, based on initial estimates regarding population and geographical spread, Somerset may end up with between 70 and 90 elected councillors – a drop of up to one-third on current numbers.

In addition to setting the number of councillors, the LGBCE's review will review the boundaries of the existing divisions (which are based upon existing parish council boundaries), set the number of councillors per division (based on population) and possibly rename the divisions to reflect their local character.

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The review is designed to take account of recent housing growth and population movement across Somerset since the existing division boundaries were last set in late-2012.

Numerous councillors expressed their opinions on the changes when the council's constitution and governance committee met in Yeovil on October 18.

Councillor Peter Seib (who represents the Brympton division in Yeovil) said: "Somerset's a particularly large county, and so in taking up duties as a councillor, you're required to travel some distance.

"The reality is we have a vast majority in Somerset of people who are employed, and it is incumbent on us to try and make sure the council is balanced by a mix of people representing our society.

"We don't want a council made up entirely of people who are financially independent or retired – we want people from across society."

Councillors do not receive salaries for their work; instead, they are paid allowances on a monthly basis to cover their travel and other expenses, with the leader and portfolio holders receiving additional allowances to reflect the amount of time they commit to council work.

If the number of councillors were to decrease rapidly, it does not necessarily mean that the amount the council spends on allowances would fall.

If fewer councillors are being asked to cover a larger geographical area, these allowances may actually have to rise to meet additional transport costs – though such decisions will require full council approval as part of setting the annual budget.

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Councillor Emily Pearlstone (Martock) said: "Buckinghamshire has had a review at 147 councillors and their remuneration currently is £13,300 [per councillor].

"How is it that particular council can justify so many councillors and we have to reduce down quite considerably, given the expanse of the county and what it costs to move us around?"

Buckinghamshire's current number of councillors was set as part of the creation of its new unitary authority, but will be reduced to 97 councillors. following a recent review – with Durham being reduced to 98 councillors.

Other unitary authorities have seen reductions in their number of councillors in recent years, including Cornwall and North Yorkshire – the latter of which was created at the same time as Somerset Council.

Councillor Helen Kay (Frome East) said: "We've currently got 14,000 people in our shared division, so we definitely need to have our area looked at."

Councillor Martin Lovell (Shepton Mallet) added: "A greater part of the enquiries I get from constituents is being asked to point them in the right direction for services – and the reason they have to ask me the question is that the situation is so opaque, they can't find it out for themselves.

"In the process of doing this, we need to be looking at the transparency and visibility of what the council offers."

Discussions to determine the number of councillors are expected to last until the summer of 2024, and will involve consultation with the existing elected members and council officers.

Two public consultations on the new division boundaries will be held after this – one on the draft proposals in May 2025, and one on the final recommendations (following the public's initial feedback) in August 2025.

Once the final boundaries have been agreed, the LGBCE will submit them to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for final approval.

This latter step must happen by December 2026 at the latest to give officers sufficient time to prepare resources ahead of the local elections currently scheduled to take place on May 6, 2027.