Introduction
There are 18 LCNs across Somerset, each covering a different area.
Their purpose is to give communities a stronger voice and help the Council understand and respond to local needs.
Think of it as a local forum where people work together to make their community better.
What Local Community Networks do
In simple terms, a Local Community Network:
Connects people – They create a space where local residents, councils, community groups, and public services can talk, share ideas, and work together.
Improves local services – LCNs look at what’s needed in the area. things like transport, health, youth services, or safety – and help shape how these are delivered.
Supports local priorities – Each LCN decides what matters most in its area (for example: flooding resilience, road safety, loneliness, local facilities) and works on plans to address these.
Gives residents a stronger voice – LCNs helps people influence decisions that affect their town or village. They make sure residents’ views are fed back into the Somerset Council’s work.
Encourages joined-up working – Instead of groups working alone, LCNs bring everyone together:
- Somerset Council services
- police
- NHS
- fire services
- voluntary groups
- local businesses
This helps avoid duplication and makes problem-solving faster and more effective.
Help find funding and support local projects – LCNs can recommend funding for local initiatives and help find resources for community-led projects.
Why Local Community Networks exist
The Council introduced LCNs to:
- strengthen community involvement
- improve trust and communication between the Council and residents
- make local services work better for the people who use them
Local Community Networks ensure local voices influence strategic decisions, not just county‑wide policies.
Who’s involved
Each network brings together a mix of local people and organisations, so everyone has a voice in what happens in their area. An Local Community Network includes:
- Your local Somerset Council councillors
- A representative from each town, parish or city council in the area
- Local police, including neighbourhood officers
- Health services, such as NHS partners
- Fire and rescue representatives
- Schools or education professionals
- Local charities, voluntary groups, faith groups and community organisations
- Local businesses or business groups
Some of the people involved will vary from place to place, depending on what each community needs.
A Somerset Councillor will hold either the Chair or Vice-Chair position. Each Somerset councillor will have a seat on the network that their division covers. The number of Somerset councillors on each Local Community Network varies because of the areas that they cover.
A team of dedicated officers will support the programme.
Meetings
Local Community Network meetings will be held in local venues around Somerset. People talk about what matters most in their area – things like transport, safety, health, or community spaces – and work together on practical ways to improve things.
Meetings are 6 to 8 times a year, with locally led groups continuing their goals between meetings. This is up to each Local Community Network area
Although meetings are held in person, we also want maximum involvement and no barriers to access. That is why we are trialling hybrid meetings in a community context. Please note that we will not have the facility to live-stream meetings.
Meetings are public, and members of the public will be encouraged to attend and be actively included in the discussion of topics, enhancing the understanding of local issues, priority areas and potential actions.
Making decisions
Voting should not be needed. Local Community Networks should reach decisions by consensus. If a vote is necessary, this will be taken by the core membership by a show of hands, having taken account of community and other stakeholder views. Terms of Reference (ToRS) have been created to reflect this.
Funding
We will make the most of local and national funding opportunities to help us tackle the priorities in each area.
We will also play an active role in shaping the Council’s budgets and policies.
The administration will keep looking at ways to strengthen our ability to support fairer, greener and thriving communities across Somerset.
Priorities
We have access to relevant data and information for each area and are supported in understanding the views and perspectives of local people. This will help decide what is important for communities to improve, enhance or solve, leading to the creation of priorities.
What we won't do
Planning and Licensing
There are separate arrangements for Planning and Licensing functions. They are not part of the Local Community Network business.
Devolved services
Assets and services cannot be devolved to Local Community Networks as they are boards, rather than legal entities (committees), and are part of the Somerset Council. However, we can be a forum for facilitating a discussion where city, town, and parish councils and/or local communities wish to take on council assets or services.
Engagement with other groups and services
City, town, and parish councils
We regularly update our city, town, and parish council clerks on our developments and welcome their input. There is an online forum where Somerset parish clerks meet each fortnight to discuss Local Government Reorganisation in Somerset. If you would like to join, please register your interest by emailing: LCN@somerset.gov.uk. Every city, town and parish council will have a seat on the Local Community Network for their area.
We do recognise that parish councillors are unpaid volunteers and that there may be other capacity constraints for parishes. We will continue to work closely with the Somerset Association of Local Councils (SALC) and the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) to further consider the barriers to participation in Local Community Networks and how we can work together to address them.
Clerks
Parish Council Clerks should make sure, where possible, that a named local representative from their parish council (elected or co-opted) attends Local Community Network Meetings. Clerks cannot be the local representative or vote, but are welcome and encouraged to attend if they have capacity.
Equality and inclusion
We want to make sure our work benefits everyone in our communities. That means we’ll pay close attention to people who are often unheard or underrepresented, including those with protected characteristics.
Somerset is a mix of rural towns, villages and larger urban areas, so it’s important that the people involved in our work truly reflect the community they’re part of.
We will work closely with partners and local groups to help people get involved and feel represented.
This will help us make sure every resident’s voice is heard.