Metered power supply agreed for street vendors

A town council will take over supplying street vendors with electricity after traders petitioned to save their businesses from an enforced power cut.

Somerset Council said it could no longer afford the annual £31,000 bill for the power supply in Fore Street, Taunton.

However, Taunton Town Council has agreed to install a metered supply so vendors can pay for the electricity they use once Somerset Council pulls its funding on 31 March 2026.

Leader of the town council Tom Deakin said: "This initiative not only addresses the needs of our hardworking vendors but also contributes to the vibrancy and footfall in our town centre."