Bridgwater Town Council

Following the implementation of Local Government Act 1972 in March 1974, Bridgwater Borough Council was abolished, and Charter Trustees were created, drawn from the 16 councillors elected to Sedgemoor District Council in Somerset, England, that represented the borough wards, who maintained the continuity of the town's legal status until such time as a parish council was established. Duties were limited to ceremonial activities. In Bridgwater's case this extended to being responsible for the Town's charters,{{Cite web|title=Borough Charters|url=http://www.bridgwaterheritage.org.uk/bridgwaterarchives.org.uk/charters/|website=Bridgwater Heritage Group|access-date=13 May 2020}} muniments{{Cite web|title=Borough Archives|url=https://bridgwaterheritage.org.uk/bridgwaterarchives.org.uk/Archives/Archives.html|website=Bridgwater Heritage group|access-date=15 May 2020}} and historic silver.{{Cite web|title=Borough maces|url=http://www.bridgwaterheritage.org.uk/bridgwaterarchives.org.uk/maces/|website=Bridgwater Heritage Group|access-date=13 May 2020}}

Bridgwater Town Council was created in 2003, with sixteen elected members representing six wards of the town — Bower (three); Eastover (two); Hamp (three); Quantock (three); Sydenham (three) and Victoria (two). The wards were changed in 2011 to Westover (three); Hamp (two); Wyndham (two); Victoria (two); Eastover (two); Fairfax west (one); Fairfax east (two); Dunwear north (one) and Dunwear south (one).{{Cite web|title=The Council|url=https://bridgwater-tc.gov.uk/council/|date=15 February 2019|website=Bridgwater Town Council|access-date=13 May 2020}}

File:The seal of Bridgwater Town Council.jpg

The Council's seal has been used by the Mayor, Bailiffs and Burgesses of the town since the Middle ages.{{Cite web|title=Bridgwater town seals|url=https://www.bridgwaterheritage.org.uk/townseal/first.htm|website=Bridgwater Heritage Group|access-date=13 May 2020}}

Bridgwater Town Council owns Bridgwater Town Hall, which houses the Town Clerks office, Mayor’s Parlour, Charter Hall and meeting rooms and a new suite of additional offices plus numerous offices hired out to the community. The Town Hall main rooms have been restored, and some are available for hire.{{Cite web|title=The hire of a room in the Town Hall|url=https://bridgwater-tc.gov.uk/town-hall/hire-a-room/|date=15 May 2019|website=Bridgwater Town Council|access-date=15 May 2020}}

File:Town Hall, Bridgwater High Street.jpg

File:Town Hall theatre.jpg

File:Bridgwater Town Hall Charter hall.jpg

It owns and administers the Blake Museum, and the adjacent historic Bridgwater Town Mill These are administered by joint committee of councillors and volunteer members of the Friends of Blake Museum,{{Cite web|title=Friends of Blake Museum|url=https://www.blakemuseumfriends.org.uk/|website=Friends of Blake Museum|access-date=13 May 2020}} who do the day-to-day management. Trinity Hall is leased to On Your Bike, a local charity that trains people to refurbish bicycle and learn skills.{{Cite web|title=On Your Bike|url=https://on-your-bike.org/|website=On Your Bike|access-date=13 May 2020}}

The Council gives financial support to the Victoria Park {{Cite web|title=Victoria Park Community Centre, Bridgwater|url=https://vpcc.co.uk/|website=Victoria Park Community Centre|access-date=13 May 2020}} and Sydenham Community{{Cite web|title=Sydenham Community Centre|url=http://www.sydenhamcommunitycentre.org.uk/|website=Sydenham Community Centre|access-date=13 May 2020}} centres and the Hamp Community Association.{{Cite web|title=Hamp Community Association|url=http://hampcommassoc.co.uk/|website=Hamp Community Association|access-date=13 May 2020}} It gives financial support to Bridgwater Arts Centre, and in May 2020 it took over the ownership of the Arts Centre from Sedgemoor District Council.{{cite web|url=https://www.westoverward.co.uk/bridgwater-arts-centre-bounces-back/|title=Bridgwater Arts Centre Bounces Back|date=6 March 2019 |publisher=Bridgwater Westover|access-date=27 March 2021}}

The town has international links with La Ciotat (France), 1957; Homberg (Efze) (Germany), 1992; Uherské Hradiště (Czech Republic), 1992; Marsa (Malta) 2006; Priverno (Italy) 2015; Seattle (United States) 2015 and Camacha, Madeira, (Portugal) 2019.{{cite news|url=https://www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk/news/17494950.mayors-madeira-homecoming-bridgwater-gets-sixth-twinning-link/|title=Mayor's Madeira homecoming as Bridgwater gets sixth twinning link|date=13 March 2019|newspaper=Bridgwater Mercury|access-date=27 March 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://bridgwater-tc.gov.uk/visit-bridgwater/twinning/|title=Twinning|publisher=Bridgwater Town Council|access-date=11 June 2024}}

Since 2011 Bridgwater is divided into eightWards, each represented by one to three Town Councillors.{{cite web

|url=https://bridgwater-tc.gov.uk/council/councillors/

|title=Councillors

|author=Bridgwater Town Council

|website=www.bridgwater-tc.gov.uk

|publisher=Bridgwater Town Council

|access-date=11 June 2024

}} Elections are held every four years on the same day of that year's local elections, with the most recent being on 5 May 2022. In these elections all seats on the council are contested. Following the 2022 election's results{{cite web

|url=https://somersetlabour.co.uk/bridgwater-town-council/bridgwater-town-council-elections/

|title=Bridgwater Town Council elections

|author=Bridgwater Labour

|website=www.somersetlabour.co.uk/

|publisher=Parretgrad Press

|access-date=11 June 2024

}} and subsequent by-elections{{cite web

|url=https://www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk/news/23999950.bridgwater-by-election-sees-diogo-rodrigues-elected/

|title=Bridgwater by-election sees Diogo Rodrigues elected

|author= Jamie Grover

|website=www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk/

|publisher=Bridgwater Mercury

|access-date=11 June 2024

|date=19 Dec 2023

}} the current composition of councillors is:

The Council's two Grant Schemes are for one-off grants up to £2,500 for community groups. One is ring-fenced for grants in Wards; the other is for town-wide community groups with heritage, cultural and social aims, such as the Friends of Wembdon Road Cemetery, a group which is restoring a closed Victorian cemetery.{{Cite web|title=Friends of Wembdon Road Cemetery|url=http://www.bridgwatercemeteries.org.uk/|last=|first=|date=|website=Friends of Wembdon Road Cemetery|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=13 May 2020}}

The Council funds with £7,000 the Quayside festival in the summer via the Bridgwater Cultural partnership.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Bridgwater Quayside Festival|url=http://www.bridgwaterquaysidefestival.uk/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=7 June 2020|website=Bridgwater Quayside Festival}}

In the winter it sponsors a Bridgwater History Day when various talks are given on aspects of the town's past.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=7 October 2017|title=Bridgwater History Day|url=https://www.westoverward.co.uk/bridgwater-history-day|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=7 June 2020|website=Bridgwater History day}}

Youth Grants - These total £10,000 per year and applications are decided by a 'Youth Forum' drawn from the schools.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=30 September 2019|title=Bridgwater Youth Grants|url=https://www.westoverward.co.uk/town-council-youth-grants-available/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=7 June 2020|website=Bridgwater Youth Grants}}

Twinning Grants - These total c.£2,500 per year, of which £300 goes as general running to the 6 twinning organisations and the remainder on an annual twinning week.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Town Twinning grants|url=http://www.bridgwaterinternational.co.uk/bridgwater-town-twinning-forum|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=7 June 2020|website=Town twinning forum}}

• Blake Museum
• John Chubb (artist)
• Bridgwater Town Mill
• Bridgwater Arts Centre

{{reflist}}

{{Local authorities in Somerset}}

Category:Parish councils of England

Category:Local authorities in Somerset

Town Council