Plan to merge Langport with neighbouring village moves step closer
It comes after a legal challenge delayed the proposals earlier this year
Plans to merge the Somerset town of Langport with its closest neighbour are back on the table, after another lengthy round of public consultation.
Langport is surrounded on three sides by the parish of Huish Episcopi, which has had to accommodate the vast majority of housing growth in the area in recent years.
Despite its population staying relatively constant, Langport Town Council says it's had to raise its share of council tax bills to "improbably high levels" to fund services used by people in Huish Episcopi.
Somerset Council held a public consultation on merging the two parishes ahead of the next local elections in May 2027, with its constitution and governance committee voting to move the plans forward in September 2025.
The plans were pushed back at a full council meeting in mid-May, after a last-minute legal challenge from the Huish Episcopi Residents Association.
The council's legal team subsequently advised that a new consultation would be needed to make sure any merger was legitimate.
After that second consultation closed in August, attracting nearly 650 responses, the constitution and governance committee has agreed to push ahead with the proposals.
This will be subject to one final round of consultation, which concludes on 16th November.
If approved, the review would dissolve the existing parishes of Huish Episcopi and Langport and create a new single parish, covering the same boundaries, called Huish Episcopi and Langport.
The new parish council would have 11 councillors, elected on 6th May 2027.
Of those who took part in the consultation, 58.4% supported a single new parish council, 73.7% said they'd prefer that council to have 11 representatives, and 61.5% were against splitting the new area into wards.
Sean Dromgoole, chairman of Langport Town Council, urged the committee to press ahead with the changes when it met in Taunton on 24th September.
"I'm here to confirm the continued support of both councils for this process," he said.
"There is strong support in the community for this, though not overwhelming. Constantly reopening this is slightly tricky for those of us working locally."
Julia Gadd, chair of Huish Episcopi Parish Council, said there was still some opposition within her parish, but that most people backed the plan.
"There have been some members of our parish who are not in favour, but despite this and some confusion about a second consultation, we did have another banging majority in favour," she said.
"We hope that you will repeat your vote in favour, as you did around 12 months ago, and we would encourage you to do so, because this is something that will benefit the two parishes hugely. It's a sensible move - a sensible, economic use of time and effort and money."
Local resident Lisa Ulf-Hansen called on Somerset Council to apologise to both local councils and the public for the delays caused by the legal challenge.
"I find it unacceptable and frustrating that Somerset Council has failed to follow the prescribed process to successfully conclude this community governance review," she said.
Liberal Democrat councillor Tim Kerley, who represents Somerton, apologised to all parties on behalf of the committee.
"We on this committee do share your frustrations," he said.
"I'd just like to offer an apology and an assurance that we've hopefully learned the lessons and put some mitigations in place so it can't happen again."
People can take part in the final consultation online before 16th November.
If the merger goes ahead, the old parishes would be officially dissolved by 1st April 2027, with the new parish council elected as part of the wider local elections taking place on 6th May 2027.
Somerset Council has already finalised a full list of polling stations for those elections, including those within the proposed new parish.
The results of the local elections are expected to be announced in the early hours of 7th May 2027.