Taunton and Wellington Liberal Democrats continued their run of local by-election victories on Thursday night.

Their candidate David Northey triumphed in a contest for the vacant Pyrland seat on Taunton Town Council.

In a three-way fight, he recorded 468 votes (53.2%) with Reform's Suzi White second 348 (39.6%) and Labour's Rowan Thorne third with 63 (7.2%). The turnout was 32%.

Speaking after his victory outside the count at Wellsprings Leisure Centre, David said: “I am over the moon and want to thank local residents for putting their faith in me.

“I’ll do everything I can to work for them, from better buses to access healthcare to ensuring the basics in our neighbourhood are put right and not forgotten.

“It was great to have the strong Lib Dem team on Taunton Town Council behind me,” he added.

“Their work protecting our green spaces, putting up bollards as protection from traveller incursions, saving Priorswood Library and public toilets and putting street marshals on the beat to improve law and order are all really appreciated by people locally.”

David was supported during his campaign by local MP, Gideon Amos, who was delighted with the result.

“David is a superb addition to our team, having grown up and gone to school in North Taunton. With his years of voluntary work in our town, he will be a fantastic councillor for Pyrland.”

David spent 42 years working on the railways, from Taunton station booking office to strategic planning. Since retiring, he has co-chaired the Somerset Bus Partnership, lobbying for better services across the county.

He launched a 'Better Bus Services for North Priorswood' petition - signed by 1,100 people - and, last summer, campaigned successfully to get the 6.22am Number 1 bus to Musgrove reinstated for key workers.

David is now calling for further improvements to the Number 1 service which serves the Pyrland area.

Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, called for green spaces to be protected from development in Parliament this week.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson on housing and communities, Gideon was speaking during a debate on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. He said: “We strongly support the prioritisation of brownfield development.

“The Liberal Democrats are grateful to the Government for listening to calls for better protection of greenfield land, and for taking steps through this Bill to encourage the prioritisation of brownfield.

“That will help to ensure that development is happening in the right places, on land that needs to be developed and in consultation with the communities that surround it.

“This is not about opposing growth; it is about delivering that growth sustainably and making the best use of land that has been developed before.

“Although I accept the Minister’s argument that some flexibility is needed to meet housing demand, if it results in greenfield and green spaces becoming the default, we will have failed and got the balance fundamentally wrong.

“Green spaces are essential to community wellbeing. They support mental and physical health, provide space for recreation and contribute to the identity of local places. Once lost, they cannot be replaced.

"If brownfield land is not properly prioritised, development pressure will fall on those spaces.

“We therefore welcome this step in the right direction by the Minister, but we will continue to ask the Government to go further on prioritising brownfield.”

Gideon also said the Liberal Democrats would continue to challenge the Government on planning autonomy, “because we are a party that believes in real community representation and local governance decided by local people.”

He added: “We will always fight to ensure that communities have a genuine say in how their areas are run, and that decisions are not handed down from Whitehall.

“Decisions should be made by and with local people not done to them.”

Gideon said afterwards: "The Government's planning changes mean local people now get far less say.

“It is forcing councils to issue planning permissions for thousands of houses for private house builders, whether or not they will ever get built.

“When I spoke to protesters in Wellington recently, I was clear, new homes are needed but the government have got it wrong – local people should have a real say and previously developed land should be used first.

“The homes most needed would be genuinely affordable ones, like council houses for local people which developers aren’t going to deliver.”

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has said “enough is enough” as he backs Liberal Democrat calls for the end of 12-hour A&E waits and ‘corridor care’ in hospitals.

It comes as a Freedom of Information request by the Lib Dems revealed the average hospital trust is now seeing nearly 3,000 patients wait more than 24 hours in A&E each year.

Meanwhile, new national data from The BMJ has stated that more than 13,000 patients waited over three days in England’s emergency departments.

Since being elected, Gideon has campaigned to secure additional funding for improvements across the NHS and particularly at Taunton’s Musgrove Park Hospital.

The Lib Dems have set out a £1.5bn plan to end ‘corridor care’ and 12-hour waits within a year.

Under their plans, 6,000 more beds would be made available through investment in social care, supporting carers and hospices and boosting ‘step down care’ so that thousands more people can leave hospital each week.

The party would also secure 8,000 extra GPs so that every patient can be seen within a week, or 24 hours if urgent, to ensure fewer people turn to A&E in desperation.

Gideon said: “It’s disgraceful that so many patients are still being treated in corridors.

“While I welcomed the government’s agreement to invest in a new maternity and paediatric unit in Taunton, scheduling it for 2033 is far too late - that investment is needed now.

"Without buildings that work and roofs that keep the water out, our hospitals will simply be unable to end the scandal of ‘corridor care’ across the country. 

"Staff at Musgrove do heroic work in inadequate facilities even when the corridors fill with patients who need help, but enough is enough.

“The government needs to enact our Lib Dem plan now to get our NHS back where it needs to be, something to be protected and defended from underfunding as well as from those who simply want to privatise healthcare."

Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, warns that the spiralling cost of social care is leaving Somerset Council “struggling to fund local services”.

Total spending on social care by local authorities reached a record £29.3bn in 2024-25, up by £12.4bn since 2015-16.

This means social care now accounts for up to 80% of council budgets, which have already had to make vast cuts to other council services.

Gideon warns that any further cuts to social care funding could be “the point of no return” for the sector.

He wants the Government to intervene, with new investment to relieve councils, tackle carer vacancies, and offer free personal care to those currently suffering without support.

His Liberal Democrat party has argued that new investment in social care, by helping more people leave hospital, could end the A&E crisis and corridor care within a year, and save money on expensive hospital stays.

Gideon also called on the Government to finish its commission on social care, which is currently scheduled to be completed in three years, with reforms reportedly potentially not in place until 2036.

He added: “My Somerset Lib Dem councillor colleagues were handed the crisis in social care funding which the outgoing Conservative leader of the council said was a ticking time bomb.

“They have turned things around by making tough decisions and we work together to push the government for more funding for Somerset.

“But the extra money provided amounted to little more than a 1% increase from the government which means other services are still being hit really hard by the government’s failure to meet the cost of care.

“Ours is a costed plan to give free personal care to those who need it. Expecting council taxpayers to bail out a broken social care system is not going to work. We need government action now to fix the social care crisis now.”

Cllr Bill Revans, Leader of Somerset Council, said: “Somerset Liberal Democrats were elected on a promise to put the heart back into Somerset.

“We are proud to have prioritised looking after the most vulnerable. But with increasing costs and demands on our services, the time has come to question whether social care should be funded out of Council Tax.

“The Carey report must be accelerated to bring councils across the country back from the brink.

“We have faced heartbreaking decisions to bring our finances back into balance and are transforming the council to be sustainable.

“However, we cannot control costs and demand as we would wish which inevitably impacts on universal services.”

The Liberal Democrats have won their second successive Wellington Town Council by-election.

George Western will fill the Rockwell Green seat which became vacant after Cllr Sue Fox stepped down following a bereavement.

He won the poll yesterday (Tuesday) by recording 422 votes, 161 more than Reform UK candidate Andy Denison who received 261 votes.

Conservative candidate Edward Yates was third with 90 votes and Labour candidate Bethany Hill finished fourth with 16 votes. The turnout was 31%.

George, who lives in Rockwell Green, said: “I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the people of Rockwell Green for placing your trust in me by electing me to Wellington Town Council.

“Throughout the campaign, I spent time on doorsteps with my team, listening carefully to what you told me.

“Again and again, the message was clear. You wanted a representative who is honest, who will say it as it is, who will work hard, and who genuinely cares about the local issues that affect our community day to day.

“You were also clear that Rockwell Green values being a closely connected community. You want representation that is rooted locally, understands local life, and brings people together - not one driven by distant, centrally controlled systems or approaches that divide communities rather than serve them.

“As your councillor, I will do everything I can to be your voice locally. I will work alongside my fellow councillors and officers to raise concerns, seek solutions and support residents across Rockwell Green, whether those issues are large or small. If something matters to you, it matters to me.

“Thank you again for your trust, your support and the conversations we shared. I am proud to represent Rockwell Green and committed to working hard on your behalf.”

George was supported by local Lib Dem MP, Gideon Amos, who added: “Our community of Taunton and Wellington, and Rockwell Green in particular, is stronger today for having George Western elected as town councillor.

“He is hard working and committed to his community.

“This result shows how a positive vision of working together to strengthen everything that is good about our society can triumph over the politics of division we hear so much about. 

“Voters chose decency, hope and a better future and I know George will be an excellent councillor for Rockwell Green.”

The Lib Dems also enjoyed success in November when Gareth Williams won a by-election in the South ward, polling more votes than the other four candidates combined.

The innovative Magic Dentist scheme, which takes dental care advice into primary schools, is coming to Wellington - thanks to our local campaigner George Western.

George is a trustee of the charity and is also the Liberal Democrat candidate in next week’s town council by-election for Rockwell Green.

He has announced this week that Rockwell Green Primary School has signed up to be involved.

Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, has joined forces with The Magic Dentist to provide sessions across the constituency via an ‘Adopt a School’ programme.

The scheme will see dental practices visit schools to provide education on oral hygiene and care – all delivered through magic.

George said: “With two-thirds of children in the area unable to see an NHS dentist, thousands are missing out on education about oral hygiene.

“I became a trustee of The Magic Dentist two years ago in response to the ongoing crisis in dentistry, and I am delighted to confirm that we have our sights set on Wellington, my home town, and somewhere that has been at the centre of the ‘dental desert’ our area faces.

“We have a dental practice confirmed to deliver the sessions and, once they have been through our training programme, we will be excited to work with Rockwell Green Primary School to deliver this much-needed education.

“As The Magic Dentist continues to grow, we will be looking at how we can also deliver treatment to those who need it most.

“We are reaching out to potential sponsors to help us continue this mission in other communities across the UK.”

Whyman House Dental Practice in Taunton was the first to support the initiative, being paired with the town’s Holy Trinity Primary School, which will have its first visit from the practice in March.

This week’s announcement will see The Magic Dentist rolled out in the Wellington area later in the year.

Nicki Rowland, the charity’s founder, said: “George has been a massive part of The Magic Dentist’s journey.

“From small beginnings to winning Charity of The Year at the Private Dentistry Awards last year, we have been on a mission to reduce hospitalisations because of poor dental hygiene.

 “The largest cause of hospitalisation for five to nine-year-olds is tooth decay – a horrendous statistic – and we can help reduce this.”

“We’re really excited for our pilot event with Holy Trinity Primary School and Whyman House, and I am delighted George will be supporting practices and schools to bring The Magic Dentist to Wellington.”

The Liberal Democrats have selected George Western as their candidate for the upcoming Wellington Town Council by-election in the Rockwell Green Ward.

The party are looking to build on their success in November when Gareth Williams won a by-election in the South Ward, polling more votes than the other four candidates combined.

George, who is married and lives in Rockwell Green, works as a Client Director at an insurance firm, supporting healthcare and dental professionals.

He also works in a voluntary capacity for two dental charities - as a trustee of The Magic Dentist and as a DentAid ambassador.

Not surprisingly, George’s main priority, if elected, would be improving access to dentistry and healthcare.

He also wants to ensure that infrastructure keeps pace with new housing and that Rockwell Green is properly prepared for any future flooding.

“I’m standing as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Rockwell Green because too many people here are being let down by the basics,” he said. “Access to dental and healthcare services should not depend on luck or long journeys. Everyone deserves timely, local care when they need it - especially children.”

George believes new housing developments should come with GP and dental provision, transport links, schools, and utilities - not leaving communities overstretched.

He also wants Rockwell Green to have safe, welcoming, and environmentally friendly spaces where children can play safely, neighbours can meet, and nature is protected for the future.

“If elected, I’ll work hard to be a strong local voice - listening, challenging, and standing up for Rockwell Green.”

George is being backed by Gideon Amos, the Lib Dem MP for Taunton and Wellington.

He said: “I first met George through his volunteering with a charity helping children to get better dental care.

“He’s a hard-working professional rooted in Rockwell Green where he lives with his wife. Having had his home flooded out he knows the real challenges people face locally. I’ve seen him stand up for what makes the Green a great community and he’s committed to working to make that community even stronger.

“He has my wholehearted support and would be an excellent councillor for fellow Rockwell Green residents.”

The by-election on Tuesday, 10 February has been called after Cllr Sue Fox stepped down from the town council because she is moving away from the area.

Listen to George as he shares his passion for making a difference in Rockwell Green