Lib Dem Councillors Update June 2026
The past few weeks have brought further progress for Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset, from major regeneration projects and transport improvements to action on recycling, skills, fostering, mental health and protecting our local environment.
Key highlights
- Councillors have backed North Somerset’s next step towards joining the West of England Combined Authority, strengthening our voice on transport, jobs, skills, housing and investment.
- The Tropicana project has moved forward, with councillors approving a pre-agreement with Live Nation, subject to further planning, operational and lease details.
- Marine Lake has reopened after major improvements, keeping this important seafront attraction free to use and ready for a busy summer.
- Weston town centre has seen further regeneration progress, with refurbished High Street and Sovereign Centre units now open, let or being marketed.
- North Somerset’s recycling service has won national recognition for its pioneering kerbside soft plastics collection, showing how local action can help tackle the climate emergency.
Delivering for Weston
The decision to move the Tropicana project to the next stage is a major moment for Weston. Councillors approved an agreement for lease with Live Nation, subject to planning consent, an operational agreement and further detailed work. If completed, the refurbished venue is expected to reopen in 2028 and could host audiences of up to 10,000 people.
This is exactly the kind of ambition Weston deserves. A year-round events venue could bring more visitors, more footfall, more local jobs and a stronger boost for our hospitality, retail and supply chain businesses. But it is also right that councillors continue to scrutinise each stage carefully, making sure the benefits are felt locally and that residents’ concerns about noise, traffic, access and community use are properly addressed.
Marine Lake has also reopened in time for summer, following extensive works to improve access, repair the lower walkway, upgrade toilets, add cycle racks, improve signage and create new business and equipment space. The lake remains free to use, which matters. Weston’s seafront should be a place residents can enjoy, not just somewhere designed for visitors.
The work of the Weston Marine Lake Mudlarks deserves particular thanks. Their support, including the new deep-water swimming channel, shows what can be achieved when residents, volunteers, councillors, officers and contractors work together.
There has also been welcome progress in Weston town centre. Refurbished units on the High Street and in the Sovereign Centre are helping bring underused spaces back into productive use. Seeing Warrens Bakery open in a restored High Street unit is a practical sign of confidence returning. The key now is to keep pressing for a town centre that works for residents, small businesses and visitors alike, with good public spaces, active shopfronts and reasons for people to spend time locally.
Transport and better-connected communities
Transport remains one of the biggest issues residents raise with us, and there have been several important updates.
At Full Council, councillors voted to support North Somerset becoming a member of the West of England Combined Authority. Subject to the government process, this would give North Somerset a direct voice in regional decisions on transport, skills, economic development, housing and climate action. Liberal Democrat councillors will keep making the case that this must deliver practical benefits: better buses, stronger rail links, fair investment and a louder voice for North Somerset.
The new transport hub in Pill has officially opened, providing better bus facilities, safer crossings and an improved public space in the precinct. This is a good example of transport investment doing more than moving people from A to B. Done well, it can also support local shops, improve accessibility and make village centres more welcoming.
There are also opportunities for residents to have their say directly on local bus services at the June Bus User Forums. Reliable, accessible buses are vital for people who do not drive, for young people, older residents, workers and anyone trying to reduce car use. These forums need to be more than talking shops, they should help shape improvements residents can actually feel.
In Weston, a trial partial closure of Walford Avenue is due to begin as part of the Queensway junction improvement scheme. The aim is to simplify traffic movement during works, reduce queuing and improve flow, particularly for traffic heading into Worle from the motorway. Residents will rightly expect disruption to be managed carefully, with clear information, proper monitoring and changes made if the trial is not working as intended.
Work has also started on the A38/A368 Churchill junction scheme, which will replace the crossroads with a signalised roundabout, improve crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, and support current and future bus services. This is a significant scheme, and it must be delivered with proper attention to safety, accessibility and disruption for local communities.
Jobs, skills and local opportunity
The Opportunity North Somerset programme has supported more than 300 residents between April 2025 and March 2026, helping people access work, training, volunteering, digital support and confidence-building opportunities. More than 220 residents attended weekly employability hubs, with support from local partners including Weston College, employers, libraries, advice services and community organisations.
This is the kind of practical, person-centred support we need more of. Not everyone’s route into work is the same. Some residents face redundancy, disability, mental health challenges, language barriers, social isolation or digital exclusion. Good local government should help remove those barriers.
The Epic development near Long Ashton also brings a major opportunity for North Somerset businesses and workers. Somerset Chamber of Commerce has been appointed to help local firms prepare for future supply chain opportunities, with support focused on SMEs, microbusinesses and sole traders. The challenge for councillors is clear: make sure large developments translate into real local jobs, local contracts and local skills pathways.
Greener services and practical climate action
North Somerset Council and North Somerset Environment Company have won two national awards for the kerbside soft plastics collection. The council says the service is the first district-wide kerbside soft plastics collection at this scale in England and Wales, serving 95,000 households from day one.
The early results are encouraging: more than 24 tonnes of soft plastics collected within weeks, a 14 per cent reduction in residual waste, a 21 per cent increase in food waste recycling and lower disposal costs. This is climate action residents can take part in every week, and it shows how councils can lead with practical, visible improvements.
The recycling centre booking system is also being refined in response to resident feedback. Weston-super-Mare recycling centre now has an additional 40 booking slots per day, and residents are reporting quicker visits and less queuing. As always, councillors need to keep listening, because systems only work if they are fair, accessible and practical for the people using them.
Health, families and safer communities
Foster Care Fortnight was a reminder of the urgent need for more foster carers across North Somerset. The council’s library pop-ups gave residents an informal way to ask questions and find out whether fostering could be right for them. Foster carers do extraordinary work for some of our most vulnerable children and young people, and they deserve both recognition and practical support.
There has also been a call for volunteers with lived experience of mental ill-health to help shape local services through the Independent Mental Health Network. Services work best when they are shaped by people who understand what it is like to need them. Mental health support must be accessible, inclusive and focused on prevention as well as crisis response.
Water safety has also been in focus in Weston, with Avon Fire & Rescue Service and the RNLI running family-friendly water safety activities on the beach. Weston’s tides and mud can be dangerous, particularly for visitors who do not know the area. Clear advice, good signage and public education all help keep people safe.
Celebrating community and civic life
Volunteers’ Week has been a chance to thank the many people who give their time to make North Somerset a better place to live, work and visit. From walk leaders and library volunteers to litter pickers, conservation volunteers and community transport champions, volunteers strengthen the connections that hold our communities together.
North Somerset also marked 40 years of partnership with Hildesheim in Germany, with young people from North Somerset Youth Parliament helping shape the next chapter of that relationship. International links like this matter most when they create opportunities for learning, exchange and young people’s voices.
As always, Liberal Democrat councillors will keep working for a North Somerset that is greener, fairer, better connected, more ambitious for Weston and more responsive to the people we serve.