Archive for category: News

Merry Christmas to everyone in Nether Stowey and, on behalf of the Parish Council, we wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

The Parish Office will be closed from 1pm on Friday 19th December 2025, and will reopen at 10am on Monday 5th January 2026.

The Clerk will be available by phone between 10am and 1pm only on the following days:

22 and 23 December and 29 and 30 December

At other times, the phone service and e-mail will be checked periodically, and if you leave a message we will call you back on the next working day.

You can find information for reporting problems with roads, street lighting etc on our website at netherstowey-pc.gov.uk/useful-links

Contact the Clerk: 01278 733779
or clerk@netherstowey-pc.gov.uk
In an emergency please contact any Parish Councillor – list here

Have your say!
Local people have a further chance to give their views on new electoral boundaries for Somerset Council

Find out more and have your say via the LGBCE website

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is reopening its consultation on proposed new division boundaries for Somerset Council.

It is inviting residents and local organisations to share their views. The consultation will run from 25 November 2025 to 14 January 2026.

The consultation is being reopened because the Commission initially, and incorrectly, understood Somerset Council’s preference for predominantly single-councillor divisions as a formal request for a uniform pattern of single-member divisions under the legislation guiding its review process. No such formal request had been made by the Council.

This may have led some people to believe that multi-councillor divisions would not be given due consideration, as a formal request for single-member divisions carries greater weight in the Commission’s considerations than a general preference.

To ensure fairness and transparency, the Commission is reopening the consultation so that all views, including any supporting multi-member divisions, can be taken into account. Any submissions previously made will still be considered and do not need to be re-submitted.

After reviewing all responses, we aim to publish our final recommendations in March 2026. Subject to parliamentary approval, the new arrangements will take effect at Somerset Council’s elections in May 2027.

Full details of the proposals are available on the Commission’s website: Somerset | LGBCE

People can also give their views by e-mail at reviews@lgbce.org.uk, and by post:
Review Officer (Somerset)
LGBCE
7th Floor
3 Bunhill Row
London
EC1Y 8YZ

THE THOMAS POOLE LIBRARY, NETHER STOWEY WINS THE KING’S AWARD FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE

All of us at the Thomas Poole Library, Nether Stowey are delighted, grateful and proud to announce that we have been given the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. We are among four volunteer groups in Somerset and 231 in the UK to receive the award.

The library is entirely managed and run by volunteers, and (in partnership with Somerset Council) we provide a public library service to Nether Stowey and its surrounding villages. We also play a vital role as a community hub for our growing population. We are a Warm Safe Space, we have a small café, we provide plenty of activities for children and adults, and we host regular evening talks on all kinds of subjects. We have just embarked on a mini-Arts Festival, and also a permanent exhibition on our local environment and heritage; we are planning many future projects, including a mini-Environment Festival and the re-design of the children’s section of the library. All this means a great deal of hard work, and we are thrilled and so grateful that the dedication of our wonderful team of volunteers has been rewarded.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK – indeed, it is equivalent to an MBE. Awards are given to groups that are truly outstanding and making a big difference to their local community, and that have the highest standards in everything they do. The awards are announced on November 14, the King’s birthday. Recipients of the award will be given a certificate signed by the King and a glass crystal trophy, presented by the Lord Lieutenant of the county, and two representatives of the organisation will receive an invitation to a Royal Garden Party.

For us at the Thomas Poole Library, the true reward is that the huge efforts of our amazing team of volunteers have been recognised. We will not rest on our laurels; this award will spur us on to find new ways to promote the joys of books and reading and to serve and support our community.