ANY claim that West Somerset and Taunton Deane should be merged into a massive unitary authority in order to protect public services “is misplaced and just plain wrong”, the two councils declared this week.

The authorities, which are scheduled to combine into a single council next April, were replying to a Somerset County Council call, reported in last week’s Free Press, to look at options for creating one unitary authority to replace the county’s current six councils.

The county believes such a move could save between £18 million and £28 million a year by cutting back on staff and reducing duplication and inefficiency.

County Council leader David Fothergill said: “There will be arguments against this idea but I want to open up the discussion and see what options can come forward.”

But in a joint statement with Mendip, Sedgemoor and South Somerset councils, the leaders of West Somerset and Taunton Deane claimed the county council would not be financially sustainable in the near future.

“Somerset’s district councils cannot stand by, given the risk this poses to services and communities we are here to serve,” they said.

“The assertion that district councils in Somerset are in financial difficulty is inaccurate.

“All the councils have taken tough decisions and actions to secure their finances and protect services.

“It is because of this that they will be financially sound in the future, and the claim that a unitary authority is needed to protect district council services is misplaced and just plain wrong.

“Given the progress we have made, the district councils believe that projected savings from establishing a unitary council suggested by Somerset County Council are unrealistic and not based on a sound analysis of our position.”

The district councils said they would examine all options for local government reform in order to arrive at the best proposals for residents and businesses, adding: “The district councils will ensure any change is the right change for the communities of Somerset.”