The following is a copy of the opening address given by the High Sheriff of Somerset at the Somerset Parishes Conference 2025.
Further resources from the day will be made available to member councils in the knowledge hub of the SALC website.
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My name is Janet Montgomery, I have the honour of serving as the High Sheriff of Somerset. It is my great privilege to open this year’s Somerset Parish Conference and to welcome you all—councillors, officers, community leaders, and representatives from across our county.
I am now six months into my year as High Sheriff, and these months have been a remarkable journey. Although I was born and brought up in the county of Somerset, I have ventured into parts of Somerset that I had never knew existed before! This county still has the power to surprise me—with its landscapes, its towns and parishes, and most of all, its people. Every visit has reminded me of the extraordinary diversity within Somerset, but also of the common ties of community, service and resilience that run through us all.
Whilst my role includes being his majesty, King Charles 3rd’s, representation for law, order and the judiciary in Somerset, I am also champion for the voluntary sector. Within my first 6 months I have dug a little deeper into my local community in the south east of somerset. My particular focus has been to support initiatives to encourage the young to get out from behind their phones and screens and find focus in their lives. By having meaningful purpose this will I believe divert them away from anti-social activities. I have met leaders of town and village councils and seen how they are stepping up to provide or facilitate youth clubs, sports clubs, activity clubs, often with youth partners, often in consultation with the young, through youth councils, and this again shows the strength of local knowledge but also the extra work needed to make this happen.
I speak to you today not just as High Sheriff, but as someone who has served as a parish councillor for quite a number of years…. Several times in fact! I know what commitment is required—the hours given freely, the patience it demands, and the dedication it takes to keep community life thriving. But I also know this: those who grasp local life at grassroots level, who listen and work with neighbours day by day, are the ones who best understand how communities truly work. Parish councillors are often the first to hear concerns, the first to be asked for help, and the first to celebrate local success. That is a responsibility and a privilege like no other.
We are standing together today at an important moment in Somerset’s history. With the unitarisation of Somerset Council, much has changed in how our local governance is structured. The transformation has brought opportunities, but it has also created new responsibilities. Where once our four District Councils carried certain duties, now it is the parish sector—our cities, towns, and villages—that must step forward to ensure that no community is left behind.
Somerset has 270 city, town and parish councils, all anchored by a shared purpose: to give our people a voice, to protect and enhance our unique way of life, and to ensure our communities thrive. The resilience of our parishes will be a defining factor in whether our county continues to flourish in the years ahead.
This is why today is so valuable. This conference is not only about discussions—it is about learning from one another, challenging ourselves, and building stronger partnerships. I see that there are an excellent range of workshops ahead, covering pressing and inspiring topics.
To every councillor here—thank you for stepping up to serve. To every officer and community representative—thank you for the expertise, energy, and insight you bring. And to all parish partners, old and new—you are vital in ensuring that Somerset remains a county where collaboration replaces isolation, and where local democracy is never an empty phrase but a living, breathing practice.
As High Sheriff, one of my duties is to celebrate and support what makes this county remarkable. And what makes Somerset remarkable is its people—their willingness to come together, to problem-solve, to volunteer, and to imagine better futures for their neighbours. This is what today is about.
So let us use this conference not only to discuss policy and share knowledge, but also to leave with renewed confidence, strengthened partnerships, and above all, a determination that whatever challenges lie ahead, Somerset’s parish sector will rise to meet them.
Thank you—and I wish you all a productive and inspiring day ahead.
Photos: below, Janet Montgomery, High Sheriff of Somerset. Homepage, Janet Montgomery with Loretta Whetlor, Chair of SALC.
