Conservative councillors have voiced strong opposition to the potential closure of the social care training facility in Minehead, warning it would be a “colossal mistake” with damaging consequences for west Somerset.
Somerset Council’s executive committee recently approved developing a new health and social care academy at the former community hospital on Salmon Parade in Bridgwater, in partnership with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. The project was awarded £19.7 million from the UK government’s levelling up fund in January 2023. Some of this funding helped establish a satellite training site in Minehead, located near the new police station on Stephenson Road.
However, during the latest executive meeting, officers revealed that low participation rates have put the Minehead training facility’s future in jeopardy. The council is now considering its closure.
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Opposition councillors sharply criticized this move, asserting it amounts to local authorities abandoning west Somerset—a region with an aging population and an urgent need for carers.
Councillor Frances Nicholson (Conservative, Dulverton and Exmoor) expressed concern that the term “network” in the business plan might indicate a shift to online-only training, which would disadvantage residents of an area where transport links are limited. She stressed, “Regeneration in Minehead and west Somerset is hugely important… It is also an area where there is a great need for carers.”
Lara Bell, the council’s head of regeneration, confirmed training has been running at the Minehead site since refurbishment of the former Seahorse Centre. However, she explained that ongoing low demand and difficulties with participants getting to the location threaten the site’s viability. Minehead suffers from poor transport connections, lacking direct bus routes to Bridgwater and no mainline railway services except a seasonal heritage line.
Councillor Nicholson warned that closing the Minehead facility without addressing transport and accessibility issues would only compound the problem and push local residents to face even greater challenges traveling to Bridgwater.
Council CEO Duncan Sharkey defended the council’s position, emphasizing no part of Somerset was being abandoned but admitting the current training model is financially unsustainable and has failed to deliver desired outcomes. “We need to find a different way of addressing the need,” he said.
Portfolio holder for adults' services, Councillor Sarah Wakefield, acknowledged budget constraints and highlighted the role of online training combined with physical options where necessary.
Conservative opposition leader Councillor Diogo Rodrigues described closing the Minehead site as “a colossal mistake,” emphasizing that accessible local training is vital to attract and retain health and social care workers in west Somerset.
Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour, a committed advocate for better health services locally, announced plans to urgently discuss the situation with the council. Her office stressed that social care training requires adequate attention and pledged to work collaboratively to improve conditions in Minehead.
The debate underscores ongoing concerns about balancing service delivery, funding limitations, and geographic challenges in rural Somerset, with many fearing that loss of local training will hinder social care provision where it is most needed.