WE’VE made it to the end of another year here in Somerset – and what a year it’s been.

In a year which has seen new governments elected on either side of the Atlantic, the Southport riots and farmers blockading Westminster, it’s easy to view Somerset as a quiet, old-fashioned backwater where nothing of significance ever happens.

Those of us who are blessed to live here, of course, know that nothing could be further from the truth – and 2024 has seen its fair share of big decisions, scandals and major upheavals right here on our doorstep.

So before we enter 2025 – whether stepping in with our best foot forward, or being dragged over the threshold kicking and screaming – here’s a reminder of some of the big decisions that have happened in Somerset over the last 12 months…

JANUARY

January began on a sad note with the passing of ‘Mr Somerton’ Dean Ruddle, who had represented the town at a parish, district, county and unitary level across numerous political parties.

Later the same month, the long-awaited development of 360 homes on Canal Way in Ilminster – one of many major sites held up by the ongoing phosphates crisis – was finally granted outline permission after years of uncertainty.

Over in Bridgwater, the Cross Rifles roundabout upgrades were scrapped due to Somerset Council’s financial pressures, and in Yeovil unpopular changes to the hospital’s stroke services were voted through by health bosses – with the town’s MP Adam Dance still fighting to get them reversed.

FEBRUARY

February was dominated by Somerset Council’s budget proposals, which saw frantic discussions with town and parish councils about taking on local services in the face of an almighty budget gap.

Thanks to a combination of devolution deals, council tax rises, new savings and the sale of “non-operational assets”, the council managed to set its budget by the skin of its teeth.

Its decisions continue to have ripples throughout the year, with Wincanton seeing its remaining regeneration funds pulled and upgrades to Yeovil Crematorium being scaled back.

Away from the budget, the month also saw plans for the Bridgwater Gateway housing development – comprising some 511 homes near junction 24 of the M5 – being given the green light, and Agratas confirming at long last that it would be building its new £4bn ‘gigafactory’ on the Gravity site near junction 23.

MARCH

In March, the council published its initial list of new housing sites in the former Mendip area, responding to a successful judicial review by Norton St. Philip Parish Council which saw five key sites struck from this crucial plan.

It also announced its intention to sell off part of its own Taunton HQ, turning C Block into accommodation for key workers (including staff at Musgrove Park Hospital), as well as disposing of Petters House in Yeovil.

County Hall was also in the news later the same months, as protest group Palestine Action smothered ‘A Block’ in red graffiti in a bid to make the council evict Elbit Systems, is an Israeli-based defence contractor, from an office block it owned in Bristol.

Care homes in Chard and Frome which had been threatened with closure were saved following an eleventh-hour intervention by Agincare, and 252 new homes were approved on Yeovil’s northern edge following a successful appeal.

APRIL

April saw the arrival of the Knife Angel sculpture in Taunton town centre, with large crowds turning out to see Emma Webber (mother of murdered Taunton teenager Barnaby) give an impassioned speech.

Somerset Council also teased details of its scaled-down £15m revamp of the Octagon Theatre, and the Safer Schools Streets trial began in Frome in a bid to make it easier for pupils to walk and cycle to and from their local schools.

Work also began on Yeovil Hospital’s new diagnostic centre, which can now handle more than 70,000 diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments every year.

MAY

May saw the long-awaited opening of the Firepool Centre for Digital Innovation, a stone’s throw from Taunton railway station, and work beginning on a new crossing over the A38 Upper High Street near the entrance to Vivary Park.

Just up the road, councillors approved plans for 200 new homes on Nynehead Road in Wellington – which will unlock the land for the town’s planned new railway station.

Elsewhere in Somerset, the council announced the acquisition of the Glovers Walk shopping centre in Yeovil (which will be demolished and redeveloped) and work got under way on a £907,000 revamp of Chard police station.

JUNE

June was dominated by the general election campaign, with numerous hustings events taking place across Somerset as the candidates put their case to the British people.

But there was plenty going on away from the campaign trail, with new care homes being approved in Chard, one of the Glastonbury town deal regeneration projects being put on hold, and a row over funding for a new Taunton primary school.

JULY

Once the general election was over and done with, July saw the go-ahead giving for Musgrove’s new car park, the removal of the Goodlands Gardens footbridge, and residents of the Zig Zag building in Glastonbury being given their marching orders by the Planning Inspectorate.

The long-running saga of the Yeovil Refresh regeneration scheme took another twist in the same month, with the council announcing that £5m of government funding would be used to unlock housing projects in the town centre – with funding also being set aside for ‘missing link’ cycle connections at the southern edge of the town centre.

The end of the month brought an uncertain future of Somerset’s rail network in the form of Rachel Reeves’ review of major transport projects – with the outcome for Wellington, Somerton and Langport still hanging in the balance after five months.

And just when it couldn’t get any more chaotic, the council’s executive agreed to allow Acorn Property Group’s unpopular plans for the Saxonvale site in Frome to progress – only for Acorn to pull out less than 24 hours later.

AUGUST

August saw the start of controversial roadworks in Bridgwater town centre to deliver the ‘Celebration Mile’ between the town’s railway station and historic docks, with £9m of government funds being allocated.

Staff at Chard’s Essex House Medical Centre had to relocate to allow extensive building work to be carried out on their ageing premises, and a new cycle bridge was approved over the River Tone in Taunton town centre (which will cost up to £2m to build).

SEPTEMBER

September saw EDF Energy U-turn on their unpopular plans to create new saltmarshes on the River Parrett near Bridgwater as part of the mitigation for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

The month also saw the Treasury finally give the go-ahead for the Bridgwater tidal barrier, and an almighty row breaking out over the council’s handling of the ongoing phosphates crisis, which is holding up the delivery of around 12,000 new homes across Somerset.

OCTOBER

There was more good news for Bridgwater in October, with the town being the first to host Luke Jerram’s ‘Fallen Moon’ art installation (though its stay was cut short by Storm Ashley).

The month also saw exciting plans announced for the future of Collett Park in Shepton Mallet, the installation of a new bridge to extend the Strawberry Line in the same town, and councillors giving their backing to 765 new homes on the north-eastern edge of Yeovil.

And at the end of the month came the new Labour government’s first budget – which saw the dualling of the A358 between Taunton and Ilminster being officially cancelled.

NOVEMBER

In November, work began to upgrade the Hurdle Way junction in Taunton, replacing obsolete traffic signals and delivering new cycle links in one of the busiest parts of the county town.

Long-running efforts to redevelop the former Yeo Valley site between Cheddar and Axbridge also moved a step closer, with councillors voting to approve revised plans for 100 homes on the edge of the Mendip Hills.

Numerous other major developments were also given the go-ahead, including 295 new homes and a new football stadium in Chard and 60 homes within walking distance of Bruton railway station.

DECEMBER

Finally, December saw plans for a new mural in Bridgwater town centre, councillors rejecting the planned Selwood Garden Community in Frome (comprising 1,700 homes) and Watchet’s MP Rachel Gilmour pleading with the government to restore the road link to Blue Anchor.

The days just before Christmas saw the launch of a Crowdfunder to secure green space near the River Frome and the approval of new plans for the Staplegrove urban extension in Taunton.

Whatever 2025 holds at a national level, there will be plenty going on in Somerset – and I’ll be here at every step of the way.