Somerset compared with councils in South West
Compared with the 12 councils in South West.
- Residents
- 590,972 (mid-2025)
- Band D council tax
- £2,561 a year in 2026-27, including police, fire and parish charges
Where Somerset sits
7
measures in the bottom quarter
3
measures below the middle
10
measures in the top half
Somerset compares worst with councils in South West on:
- upheld complaints per 100,000 residents (12th of 12; 1st is lowest)
- enforcement actions per 100 fly-tipping incidents (12th of 12; 1st is highest)
- prevention cases ending with a home secured (11th of 11; 1st is highest)
It compares best on:
- tenants satisfied their home is safe (1st of 6; 1st is highest)
- tenants who say the council listens and acts (1st of 6; 1st is highest)
- fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents (2nd of 12; 1st is lowest)
SEND assessments
Education, health and care plans set out support for children with special educational needs. The law says a new plan should be issued within 20 weeks.
| Measure | Somerset | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks 2025 | No figure | 34.1% | No figure |
Ombudsman complaints
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman looks at complaints the council's own complaints process has not resolved. Upheld means the Ombudsman found the council at fault.
| Measure | Somerset | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upheld complaints per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 9.5 | 4.5 | Bottom quarter 12th of 12 | |
| Complaints to the Ombudsman per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 49.7 | 45.5 | Bottom quarter 10th of 12 | |
| Upheld complaints about children's services per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld complaints about special educational needs per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld complaints about homelessness per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld cases the council had already put right 2025-26 | 5.4% | 14.9% | Bottom quarter 11th of 12 | |
| Ombudsman remedies delivered on time 2025-26 | 61.8% | 75.5% | Bottom quarter 8th of 10 |
Council housing
From the tenant survey and performance figures every council landlord reports to the Regulator of Social Housing. Only councils that still own council homes are included.
| Measure | Somerset | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenants satisfied with the overall service 2024-25 | 79.0% | 70.5% | Top half 2nd of 6 | |
| Tenants satisfied their home is well maintained 2024-25 | 78.3% | 66.3% | Top half 2nd of 6 | |
| Tenants satisfied their home is safe 2024-25 | 82.5% | 72.2% | Top half 1st of 6 | |
| Tenants who say the council listens and acts 2024-25 | 67.1% | 54.3% | Top half 1st of 6 | |
| Non-emergency repairs done within target time 2024-25 | 89.8% | 83.7% | Top half 2nd of 6 | |
| Council homes failing the Decent Homes Standard 2024-25 | 2.4% | 5.7% | Top half 2nd of 6 | |
| Stage 1 housing complaints answered in time 2024-25 | 79.6% | 86.7% | Below the middle 4th of 6 |
Council tax
How much of the year's council tax bills the council collected by 31 March.
| Measure | Somerset | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council tax collected in the year it was due 2025-26 | 95.5% | 95.7% | Below the middle 7th of 12 |
Streets and waste
Fly-tipping the council recorded, how often it took enforcement action, and how much household waste was recycled.
| Measure | Somerset | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents 2024-25 | 4.8 | 10 | Top half 2nd of 12 | |
| Enforcement actions per 100 fly-tipping incidents 2024-25 | 0.7 | 19.7 | Bottom quarter 12th of 12 | |
| Household waste reused, recycled or composted 2023-24 | 56.0% | 46.2% | Top half 4th of 11 |
Homelessness
Temporary accommodation and the outcomes of homelessness cases, from the council's statutory returns.
| Measure | Somerset | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households January to March 2026 | 1.2 | 2 | Top half 5th of 11 | |
| Families in temporary accommodation for 2 years or more January to March 2026 | 7.7% | 7.7% | Below the middle 6th of 11 | |
| Prevention cases ending with a home secured January to March 2026 | 37.1% | 56.2% | Bottom quarter 11th of 11 | |
| Relief cases ending with a home secured January to March 2026 | 22.3% | 38.5% | Bottom quarter 10th of 11 |
Website
An automated test of the council website's accessibility.
| Measure | Somerset | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website accessibility score October 2026 | 96.4% | 93.7% | Top half 3rd of 12 |
What the council spends
Net spending per resident in 2025-26, after fees, charges and specific grants, not counting schools. Spending more is not better or worse on its own. Negative highways figures come from parking income.
| Service | Somerset | Median | Rank, highest first | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's social care | £270 | £280 | 7th of 12 | |
| Adult social care | £485 | £496 | 8th of 12 | |
| Public health | £44 | £53 | 10th of 12 | |
| Housing (general fund) | £33 | £35 | 8th of 12 | |
| Environmental and regulatory | £127 | £114 | 2nd of 12 | |
| Highways and transport | £44 | £38 | 6th of 12 | |
| Culture and leisure | £24 | £35 | 9th of 12 | |
| Planning and development | £28 | £18 | 4th of 12 | |
| Central services | £43 | £46 | 8th of 12 | |
| All services excluding schools | £1,112 | £1,128 | 7th of 12 |
Children's services inspection
Ofsted rated Somerset’s children's services good at its last full inspection, in July 2022.
- Outstanding
- 2 of the 12 councils in South West
- Good
- 6 of the 12 councils in South West, including Somerset
- Requires improvement
- 3 of the 12 councils in South West
- Inadequate
- 1 of the 12 councils in South West
Over time
Somerset against the median of councils in South West.
Upheld Ombudsman complaints per 100,000 residents
Using the latest population estimate for every year.
- Somerset: 9.5
- Median (councils in South West): 4.5
Household waste recycling rate
Reused, recycled or composted.
- Somerset: 56.0%
- Median (councils in South West): 46.2%
Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents
As recorded by the council.
- Somerset: 4.8
- Median (councils in South West): 10
How to read these figures
Position 1 is the best in the group. The bottom quarter is shown in red, below the middle in yellow and the top half in green. Councils with the same figure share a position.
In each chart, every mark is a council in England and the large dot is Somerset. Councils in the group you are comparing with are darker. The dashed line is the group's median.