Midsomer Norton Town Council has approved an emergency grant of £16,300 to help keep the Somer Centre running, following a report warning that its management is operating on a “crisis-response basis”, with councillors carrying out work normally undertaken by council staff and serious concerns over finances, staffing and governance.
The funding was approved at the Full Town Council meeting on 2nd November, after a report revealed that a decision made more than a year ago for the Town Council to take over running the Somer Centre had still not been implemented.
The Somer Centre was previously managed by Midsomer Norton Community Trust, However, the Community Trust handed back management of the building on 1st April 2026, leaving the Town Trust to manage the centre directly.
Council staff were originally expected to take over the administrative work previously undertaken by the Community Trust, including managing room bookings and other operational duties. However, the report states that this support is no longer available because of staffing pressures.
As a result, the Town Trust has had to employ additional temporary administrative support to carry out work previously undertaken by the Community Trust.
The £16,300 emergency grant includes £13,800 towards electricity, cleaning and other running costs, together with £2,500 to extend temporary administrative support for approximately four weeks.
Without the additional funding, the Trust was forecasting a deficit of £12,397 for the current financial year.
However, the report makes clear that the grant is only a temporary measure, with further funding likely to be required to cover administrative costs between December and March.
Councillors Operating on a “Crisis-Response Basis”
One of the most concerning findings is the report’s description of the Town Trust Management Committee as operating on a “crisis-response basis”, with individual councillors carrying out operational and administrative work that would normally be undertaken by council officers.
The report highlights the Town Council’s own Councillor-Officer Protocol, which states that councillors should not involve themselves in the day-to-day running of the Council.
Yet the Management Committee says councillors have been left undertaking these responsibilities in addition to their existing Council duties.
It calls for work previously carried out by officers to be properly resourced rather than continuing to fall to individual councillors.
The Management Committee is also operating with just three councillors, the minimum number permitted under its terms of reference. A fourth position remains vacant, meaning that the departure of another member could leave the committee unable to conduct its business.
Nine Significant Risks Identified
The report identifies nine risks affecting the Town Trust, including weaknesses in governance, financial management, staffing and IT security.
Among the concerns are missing policies identified by the Charity Commission, including a safeguarding policy, and unresolved security risks involving the Trust’s Microsoft 365 system and other digital assets.
The Charity Commission’s involvement follows concerns raised during the Town Council’s 2025/26 internal audit, which identified that the Council had incorrectly declared that it was not the Sole Trustee of any charities, despite being responsible for both the Town Trust and Recreation Trust.
The report also raises questions about whether all income from Somer Centre room bookings is being paid into the correct bank account.
Although customers were informed of new banking arrangements following the handover from Midsomer Norton Community Trust in April, some payments may still be going into the Community Trust’s account.
The Management Committee acknowledges that it currently lacks the resources to properly monitor and investigate the situation.
Somer Centre Still Has No Business Plan
Despite the Town Council agreeing to take over running the Somer Centre in September 2025, the building still has no agreed management arrangements or business plan setting out how it will be operated and financially sustained.
The Council is considering taking over the building’s operation at an estimated annual cost of approximately £30,000. However, the report states that further work is needed to establish the full costs, VAT implications and management arrangements before a final decision can be made.
The report also warns that the Somer Centre may be overlooked in the Council’s wider property planning, despite the outstanding decision over who should operate the building.
This raises further questions about the Council’s approach to managing its community buildings.
Like the Town Hall, the Somer Centre has no agreed business plan setting out its future operating costs, staffing requirements and financial sustainability.
Further Costs for Council Taxpayers
The emergency grant comes at a time when Midsomer Norton Town Council is already facing increasing financial pressures.
The Town Council increased its precept by 20.7% to £741,004 for 2026/27, while its internal audit identified weaknesses in financial management, accounting procedures, budget monitoring and governance.
The latest Town Trust report raises further questions about the Council’s capacity to manage its growing responsibilities, particularly as work previously undertaken by the Community Trust is now requiring additional paid administrative support.
Although the £16,300 grant will help meet the Somer Centre’s immediate financial pressures, it does not resolve the underlying problems.
More than a year after agreeing to take over running the building, the Town Council has still not implemented its decision or established a sustainable management arrangement.
