VOTERS will be going to the polls on Thursday (May 2) to elect councillors for the new Somerset West and Taunton Council.

The new district authority only replaced the former West Somerset Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council on April 1, so Thursday represents the first opportunity for people to elect councillors for it.

The new council has 59 seats – fewer than the two previous councils combined, so people will be voting in councillors who have responsibility for a wider area.

As an example, Watchet elected three councillors to West Somerset Council and Williton two, but now the two have been merged into one ward sharing three councillors.

There are elections in all but one of the new local wards of Somerset West and Taunton Council, the only exception being the Quantock Vale Ward, where Conservative Chris Morgan was the only person nominated so is elected unopposed.

To help readers make up their minds on who to vote for in the West Somerset wards of the new council, the Free Press invited all the candidates to say a few words about themselves and their aims and objectives.

These can be found in today’s Free Press. Results will be posted on the council’s website, and on our website – wsfp.co.uk – next Friday morning.