Residents have been left outraged and demanding answers after a local authority spent nearly £20million on a company to assess how it can save money.

Somerset Council has appointed Newton Consulting to help it cover a projected funding gap of a huge £190million across the next five years.

The Liberal Democrat run council said an initial £1.5million will be spent in the "first phase" of the contract, but they suggest it could rise significantly further.

Councillor Theo Butt Philip said the firm has "proven credentials" in helping find savings.

Locals have been outraged at the council's waste, demanding "more care being taken with taxpayers' money".

Taunton resident David Orr told GB News: "The Lib Dems are making a terrible mess of running Somerset Council, a unitary authority formed in 2023.

"This brought five councils into one and should have released efficiency savings of around 20 per cent.

"The Council, which has a shortfall of £146million by March 2027, will, in my opinion, be unable to set a balanced budget and the Government will need to appoint Commissioners."

Somerset Council has spent nearly £20million on a company to assess how it can save money

Mr Orr explained auditors have told the council "that they aren't doing enough to make savings".

He added: "The result is a controversial consultancy contract for £20million to help make savings, having wasted a year to plan and after two and a half years running this new council. More good money is being thrown away."

Local Reform member Chris Mann stated that the "public expects better" of the Liberal Democrat councillors.

He said: "Experienced councillors now talk of Liberal Democrat 'incompetence and mismanagement' -failing to focus on the real issues, take advice, act decisively, or keep key personnel in post. Those are strong words, but they reflect genuine frustration."

Mr Mann called for the council to avoid "experiment with expensive new systems," and "focus on debt, on core services, and on decisions that deliver real, immediate savings".

He urged the council not to "rush us into another costly mistake".

Cllr Philip defended the decision, saying: "Like most councils, Somerset's financial situation remains critical with costs and demand for services rising much faster than our ability to raise income.

"Although we have already found significant savings ourselves, including £34million through restructuring, we now believe we need the input of external experts who have proven credentials in delivering the next level of change."

Somerset Council's Liberal Democrat leader, Bill Revans, told BBC Radio Somerset that the council is "quite happy to buy in expertise where we need it".

The council is currently £1billion in debt

The council currently has roughly £1billion worth of debt due to mismanagement, no effective plans to merge five councils into one, and inheriting debt from other councils.

Not helping their cause is the £20million spent on this new scheme and the previous wasting of taxpayers' money, such as forking out £1million on a public vote for the Stronger Somerset proposal with two unitary councils plus three other organisations.

The Lib Dem council declared a financial emergency in November 2023 and a planning emergency was organised in August 2025.

The authority has already introduced a £66million package of cuts and savings for the upcoming budget, including letting go of 555 people.

At the time, the public finance body said that further "exceptional financial support" may be needed to balance Somerset Council's budget for 2026/27.