January 2026

Minehead Town Council Sets Budget to Protect Local Services and Invest in the Town - 28th January 2026
Minehead Town Council has agreed its budget for the 2026/27 financial year, setting out how it will continue to protect essential local services while investing in the care and improvement of the town.
This is the first full year in which the Council is responsible for managing parks and open spaces that transferred from Somerset Council in May 2025. These include popular and well used areas such as Blenheim Gardens, The Parks, play areas and the seafront. Bringing these spaces under local control has allowed the Town Council to focus on day to day maintenance, safety and long term care, helping to keep them welcoming for residents and visitors alike.
The budget ensures the Council can continue to deliver a wide range of services that residents rely on. This includes maintaining parks, play areas, open spaces and the seafront, operating and improving public toilets, supporting community services and wellbeing initiatives, caring for the cemetery and allotments, and keeping the town centre looking attractive through planting, floral displays and general maintenance. It also supports local events, youth provision and community groups that contribute to the life of the town.
Like many towns across Somerset, Minehead has taken on responsibilities for services that are no longer provided at county level. While this has increased costs, it has also ensured that important local facilities are not lost and that decisions about them are made locally, with a clear understanding of what matters most to the community. Additional staffing, equipment and contracts are now in place to make sure these services are delivered safely and to a good standard.
The budget enables the Council to take a longer‑term approach to facilities that were devolved from Somerset Council and which, in many cases, have seen minimal investment over a number of years. This includes planned upgrades to the public toilets at Blenheim Gardens, alongside wider reinvestment in parks and green spaces now managed locally. Maintaining sensible reserves allows the Council to address these inherited challenges gradually and responsibly, while protecting residents from sudden service reductions or steep increases in the future.
For a typical Band D household, the Town Council’s share of council tax will increase by £9.72 for the year, which is around 19p per week. Councillors have worked carefully to keep the impact on households as low as possible, while still ensuring that Minehead does not see a decline in the services and spaces that residents value.
Councillor Craig Palmer, Mayor of Minehead said “This budget is about looking after Minehead, protecting the services people use every day and investing in the spaces that make the town such a great place to live and visit. We know people are under pressure from rising costs, so councillors have taken great care to keep the increase as small as possible while still making sure essential services are properly funded.”
All money raised through the Town Council’s precept is spent locally in Minehead, directly supporting services, facilities and improvements within the town. The new budget will come into effect from 1 April 2026.
For a clear explanation of how the Town Council sets its annual budget and precept , including what this means for residents, please visit our 2026/27 Budget page.

West Somerset Lagoon – Public Consultation Information

Minehead Town Council has been asked by the office of Rachel Gilmour MP to share the following information about the West Somerset Lagoon public consultation.

The consultation has been launched by the West Somerset Lagoon team and will run until Easter 2026. Residents, businesses, and local stakeholders are invited to learn more about the proposals and provide feedback directly to the project team.

Full details and the online survey can be found at: https://www.westsomersetlagoon.com/public-consultation

We are sharing this link for the information of our community. Any questions or comments regarding the proposals should be directed to the West Somerset Lagoon team via the contact details provided on their website.