Merger of growing Somerset town with neighbouring village scrapped
Merger of Castle Cary and Ansford scrapped after residents oppose plans despite boundary review backing minor changes
Plans to merge a growing Somerset town with its immediate neighbour have been scrapped due to “insufficient support” from local residents.
Castle Cary has expanded rapidly over the last decade, with a significant number of new homes being delivered in both the town and the neighbouring parish of Ansford (which includes Castle Cary railway station).
This level of housing growth has rendered the existing parish boundaries out of date – with part of the boundary going through the centre of a residential property.
Following a petition by local councillor Henry Hobhouse, Somerset Council pursued a governance review in late-2025, with the results coming before the council’s constitution and governance committee in Taunton on February 5.
But due to the lack of public enthusiasm for the proposals, the committee ruled that no plans to merge the two settlements will be taken forward at this time.
Steven Lake, the council’s electoral services manager, told the committee in his written report: “The consultation demonstrates that there is insufficient support from both communities to proceed with the proposals to merge the two parishes.
“While there was an overall approval rate of 53.6 per cent to the proposals, the rate of approval from the responders from Ansford was only 35.3 per cent.
“There is, however, sufficient evidence to review the administrative boundaries to ensure that there are clear, definitive boundaries between the two communities.”
Castle Cary currently has 1,883 people on the electoral register, compared to 1,174 in Ansford.
While the two parishes will remain distinct, a number of minor changes to the boundaries will be implemented.
These changes include moving the Crown Pet Foods factory entirely into the parish of Castle Cary (where the boundary cutting cuts straight through the main building) and moving 57 to 67 Churchfield Drive into the parish of Ansford.
Summer Easeman – a disabled mother and the youngest member of Ansford Parish Council – told the committee that dissolving the two parishes would “silence a vital local voice” at a crucial time for local democracy.
She said: “We have consistently demonstrated what can be achieved when we work collaboratively and base our decisions on evidence.
“Because of our constructive relationship with Somerset Council and local developers – and because we invested in proper, evidence‑based reports – we now have the prospect of three zebra crossings being delivered in Ansford.
“That’s not abstract policy; that’s safer routes for children, older residents, disabled people, and families. It’s exactly the kind of practical, community‑driven outcome that only a functioning parish council can deliver.
“Dissolving this council would silence a vital local voice at the very moment when our community is proving what it can achieve.”
Fellow Ansford resident Fiona Houlton said there were crucial differences between this proposal and the intended merger of Langport and Huish Episcopi.
She explained: “The nature of community identity, the strength and clarity of opposition, the response rates and the demographic profile are all materially different.
“Ansford is getting younger, with significant numbers of new housing and many families moving in.
“Proceeding now would create a long-term legitimacy problem by acting against the views of the very residents who will shape the parish’s future.”
Castle Cary resident Simon Bebbington took a different view, arguing that bringing the two councils together would make it easier to secure new facilities from housing developers.
He reasoned: “The extension and ongoing development taking place has effectively blurred the boundaries and made them a single natural community.
“Our larger voice carries more weight when bidding for National Lottery funding, developer contributions, or government grants for projects like the Donald Pither pavilion.”
Trevor Oats, chairman of Castle Cary Town Council, added: “I can see great merit in the formation of a new council to move forward and start to focus on the needs and wants of everyone, and not be continually being accused of not paying heed to the parishioners of Ansford.
“All the new council parishioners will have equal access to elect the members who they wish to represent them, and enjoy the services that will be provided across the whole of the community.”
Councillor Tim Kerley (Liberal Democrat, Somerton) said this was a textbook example of needing to respect the public’s views in spite of any professional assessment.
He said: “It looks to me that it suits the governance for them to come together, but we have to accept that we need to take the public with us on the journey.
“Having set through a similar one in Langport and Huish Episcopi, I see the arguments are pretty much the same.
“The difference here is the local population haven’t been taken with the argument, and I think we have to respect that.”
The committee voted not to proceed with the merger after less than half an hour’s debate.