On Wednesday 10th January the guest speaker for the first Bridgwater & District Civic Society  meeting of 2024 will be Cllr Brian Smedley, the Labour Group Leader on Bridgwater Town Council, who will speak on the subject of: “Bridgwater Town Council Past, Present and Future”. The talk will be held at Victoria Park Community Centre and will start at 7.30pm. Civic Society members are free, visitors welcome at £3. Brian Smedley says “Bridgwater was a powerful, radical, independent Borough from 1460 to 1974 and then it all went wrong. The Town lost it’s independence to Sedgemoor District Council and it’s historic powers retaining just the choice of who could be Mayor. In 2003 the Government granted Bridgwater a return to Town Council status. In 2023 it was Sedgemoor’s turn to be abolished and Bridgwater led the charge to devolution and independence. What does this all mean for the future?? Town Council Leader Brian Smedley tells the story from the heart of Rebel HQ.”