Parking provision is being put back into Salmon Parade in Bridgwater as part of a review of the Celebration Mile regeneration project.

Somerset Council has committed to a review of parts of the regeneration scheme, completed last year, looking at potentially reinstating parking on Salmon Parade and reviewing the direction of traffic movements on both Salmon Parade and East Quay, while prioritising pedestrian safety at the Eastover Town Bridge junction.

Somerset residents are being encouraged to check ahead and renew, or sign up to, the Garden Waste subscription service to help make sure collections continue smoothly through the busiest time of year for renewals.

Residents can start a subscription at any time and subscriptions do not auto-renew, so customers need to renew annually. Renewing early will not affect the service – residents will still receive a full year of collections from their renewal date.

A recycling campaign aimed at boosting food waste recycling in Somerset gained recognition at the National Awards for Excellence – the waste and recycling industry’s prestigious awards, held on Wednesday 13 May in London.

Somerset Council in partnership with household waste collections contractor, SUEZ were finalists in the Food Waste and Organics Initiative of the Year category. The partnership was up against a shortlist of 9 and were thrilled to be among many forward thinking projects.

Film and television productions spent more than £6m in Somerset last year, according to the latest Screen Somerset estimates.

The figures come ahead of the release of 2 more major productions that have shot in Somerset locations: Masters of the Universe and Season 2 of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Residents across Somerset are warmly invited to drop in to one of Fostering in Somerset’s friendly events this May and discover how they could make a real difference to a child’s life.

Timed to coincide with Foster Care Fortnight, the UK’s biggest campaign to raise awareness of fostering, the events are a great chance to learn more in a relaxed and welcoming setting.

Somerset Council has agreed a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy that will guide how it works with communities, partners and staff to tackle inequality and promote inclusion across the county.

It will help support a number of equalities objectives which form part of the Council’s responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public authorities to publish equality information and set measurable equality objectives at least every 4 years.

People in Yeovil can now access a full range of free and confidential sexual health services locally, following the launch of a new SWISH (Somerset-Wide Integrated Sexual Health) clinic at the Summerlands Health Park on Preston Road.

The new clinic brings together sexual and reproductive health services under one roof for the first time in Yeovil, removing the need for many people to travel elsewhere in the county for care.

Residents across Somerset are being invited to take part in a new survey to help improve how alcohol support is offered locally, particularly for those who may benefit from help but are not currently accessing services.

Somerset Council is working with Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service (SDAS), delivered by Turning Point, to better understand the real-life reasons why people do not come forward for support.

Somerset Council is relaunching its Little Book of Health and Wellbeing to support residents during Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 and beyond.

Produced by Somerset Council’s Public Health team, the updated and rebranded booklet provides practical, evidence-based advice to help people look after their mental health and wellbeing in everyday life.

The guide brings together simple tools and techniques that can make a real difference, as well as highlighting the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, encouraging people to take small, positive steps each day.