What is Somerset County Council and how does it work for me?

I was lucky to be elected a county councillor in May 2013 and one of the first thing you notice when entering County Hall in Taunton is the size of the area we cover- we are 7th largest in the country.

County councils provide or manage around 80% of services- these include children’s and adult social care, highways and road planning but go a lot wider.

In Bridgwater there are four levels of local government - town or parish, district (Sedgemoor), county (Somerset) and Parliamentary, each responsible for their different services.

Councillors are elected to represent people in a defined geographical area for a fixed term of four years, unless elected at a by-election in which case the time will be shorter.

Councillors have to balance the needs and interests of residents, voters, political parties and the council.

My county division is Bridgwater South and covers the Hamp and Westover wards and I live right in the middle of Hamp.

Council officers then implement these policy initiatives and are responsible for delivering services on a daily basis.

Full council is made up of all 55 elected councillors and I am a Labour councillor.

The current make up of Somerset county is 31 conservative, 14 lib/dem, 4 Ukip, three Labour and three independent.

Somerset has a Tory ruling party with a lib/dem opposition.

A cabinet is like the government of the council, usually formed by the political party that has most elected representatives.

It is the only group which is allowed to make decisions on certain areas of policy without the approval of the full council.

Each cabinet member usually looks over a specific area.

Somerset has a Leader and 8 members of cabinet.

There are also four committees, three cross party scrutiny committees - places, children and families and adults and health and a cross party Regulation Committee of nine members.

I am currently chair of the children and families committee; a role I get great satisfaction from.

As a councillor I try to attend as many meetings as possible.

I am lucky enough to work part time which enables me to give as much of my spare time to being a councillor as possible.

I use press and social media to try and update the people in my community on what is happening.

I also get calls and emails asking for help and advise.

Some of the issues I have helped with include pushing for Taunton Road Broadway Road works to be completed early and helping parents get their child into their first choice school.

Councillor Leigh Redman