Chard Town Council

What Chard Town Council does

Chard Town Council is a statutory local government authority in the lowest tier of English local government, established in 1974 and serving the residents of Chard, Somerset from its headquarters at the historic Guildhall on Fore Street. It is governed by fifteen elected councillors representing five wards (Avishayes, Combe, Crimchard, Holyrood, and Jocelyn), supported by a small officer corps led by the Town Clerk and operating through three standing committees and several working groups. The council delivers a defined portfolio of civic and community services including allotments, cemetery management, closed churchyard maintenance, markets, parks and open spaces, planning information, public conveniences, and community grants. Its product surface extends beyond traditional statutory duties into community programmes such as the Culturally Chard three-year heritage programme (funded by Historic England, Arts Council England, and the National Heritage Memorial Fund), the Chard Youth Council, the KIND Chard community directory, the Warm Spaces Network, and an e-waste IT equipment collection partnership with Donate IT.

The council's underlying technology stack is modest and characteristic of a small public-sector body: a WordPress-based public website at chard.gov.uk providing news, meeting documents, service information, and accessibility features (colour/contrast/font controls, 300% zoom, keyboard and screen-reader navigation), supplemented by an external Guildhall venue booking system at venuehire.scribeaccounts.com. Distribution is multi-channel, combining in-person services at the Guildhall, the council website, social media (Facebook, YouTube), email correspondence, councillor surgeries, community consultations, and public meetings. Marketing and community engagement operate through a hybrid of organic content, grassroots community relations, and event-driven activation.

The council's revenue model is non-commercial and entirely public-sector. Primary funding flows from the council tax precept levied on Chard households, supplemented by grants from heritage and community funders (Historic England, Arts Council England, National Heritage Memorial Fund, National Lottery Community Fund, Somerset Rivers Authority) and modest income from Guildhall venue hire managed through an online booking system. Distribution of services and facilities occurs through direct in-person channels at the Guildhall, self-serve online portals, e-commerce-style venue bookings, and physical community facilities including markets, allotments, cemetery, parks, and public toilets. As a publicly funded statutory body, Chard Town Council does not pursue shareholder returns, commercial expansion, or venture-style scaling; its operating model is constrained by local government finance rules and accountable to residents through democratic elections.

Name

Chard Town Council

Legal name

Chard Town Council

Website

https://chard.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chard Town Council is a UK local government authority serving Chard, Somerset through fifteen elected councillors. It delivers statutory civic services, maintains community facilities including the historic Guildhall, and runs heritage, youth, and resilience programmes funded primarily by the council tax precept and external grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Executive Offices (92111), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

akta.pro primary industry

City Clerk/Records, Elections & Civic Engagement (BPAIACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Civic administration
• Community venue hire
• Community grants
• Municipal services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chard

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Council Tax Funding: Primary revenue source from local Council Tax to fund council operations, services, and community programmes.
2. Guildhall Venue Hire: Revenue generated from hiring out the Chard Guildhall for events, meetings, and functions. Bookings handled through an online system.
3. Community Grants: The council awards annual grants to community organizations, funded through the council's budget.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chard Town Council is a local government authority that delivers statutory and community services to residents of Chard, Somerset. Its core offering includes local civic administration (council meetings, finances, planning, councillor surgeries), community services (allotments, cemetery, markets, parks and open spaces, public toilets), community grants to local organisations, and operation of the historic Chard Guildhall as an event venue for hire. It also runs community and cultural programmes such as Culturally Chard, the Youth Council, the KIND Chard community directory, the Warm Spaces Network, and the E-Waste IT equipment collection partnership.

Product overview

Chard Town Council operates as a local government authority offering a portfolio of civic services and community programmes rather than a unified technology product. Core offerings include town council governance and administrative services (meetings, finances, planning, grants), community services (allotments, cemetery, markets, parks), and the Chard Guildhall venue hire programme. Additional community initiatives include the Culturally Chard heritage programme, Youth Council, KIND Chard community directory, E-Waste IT collection partnership, and Warm Spaces network. These services function as standalone community programmes rather than an integrated platform with modular components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chard Community Services Local services for Chard residents including allotments, cemetery management, closed churchyard maintenance, local information centre, markets, parks and open spaces management, public toilets, and planning information.
• Chard Guildhall Venue Hire Event venue rental and facilities management at the historic Chard Guildhall building for events, meetings, and functions, including rooms for hire, virtual tours, and community use. Bookings handled through the online venue hire system at venuehire.scribeaccounts.com.
• Culturally Chard Programme Three-year heritage, arts, and music programme celebrating local character, culture, history and heritage of Chard as part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme. Includes projects such as The Banners of Chard, Window Wanderland, Water Histories, Chard Revealed, ChardCast, and Spring Cultural Festival, in partnership with Holyrood Academy, Somerset Art Works, and Arts Council England.
• Chard Youth Council Youth engagement programme providing young people from Holyrood Academy an opportunity to voice their thoughts about town needs, with an annual budget for youth-driven projects and events.
• KIND Chard (Key Information Network Directory) Community network directory project strengthening community networks and communication, providing better access to local services, supporting health and wellbeing, and encouraging volunteering.
• E-Waste IT Equipment Collection Partnership with Donate IT providing a Guildhall collection point for unwanted IT equipment including PCs, laptops, tablets, and phones, with secure data wiping and resetting guaranteed before community redistribution.
• Warm Spaces Network Network of warm spaces across the town offering residents a safe, welcoming, free place during colder months with friendly conversation and access to hot drinks and support services.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Historic EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for Culturally Chard, a three-year cultural programme celebrating Chard's local character, culture, history and heritage as part of the Chard High Street Heritage Action Zone.
• Arts Council EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for Culturally Chard programme and Artsmark Gold Award recognition for partner Holyrood Academy.
• National Heritage Memorial FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for Culturally Chard cultural programme celebrating Chard's historic town centre.
• Somerset CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpper-tier local authority that Chard Town Council works with on service delivery, highways, planning, and asset transfers. Somerset Council is the highway authority and planning authority for the area.
• Chard Area Resilience Group (CARG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer community resilience group that works with the council during emergencies including flooding events and storm damage. Members participate in council debriefs and evidence gathering.
• Chard MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for community events including Chard Wassail, VJ Day commemoration, and cultural programmes. The museum houses the community orchard where Wassail ceremonies are held.
• Project FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organisation delivering cooking programmes, Good Grub Club sessions, and energy efficient cooking courses in partnership with Abri Homes and funded by National Lottery Community Fund and Somerset Community Foundation.
• Abri HomesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partner for community initiatives including Energy Efficient Cooking courses and Good Grub Club sessions supporting low-income households.
• Somerset Wildlife TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with Chard on Great Mead project and Act to Adapt climate adaptation planning, developing climate adaptation plans for the Chard area.
• Somerset Art WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts organisation working with Holyrood Academy and Chard Town Council on Culturally Chard projects including Water Histories, Window Wanderland, and other cultural activities.
• Chard Town TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer community group that organises Halloween events and Christmas lights switch-on, with the council providing logistical support, funding, and Guildhall access.
• Chard Carnival CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual carnival organiser that receives council grants and uses Guildhall for craft fair and Mayor's reception. Committee provides road marshals for Remembrance events.
• Donate ITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for IT equipment collection at Guildhall, providing secure data wiping and resetting of donated devices for community redistribution.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Locality: National membership body supporting local councils and community organisations in England with resources, advocacy, and peer learning. An ecosystem/supporting organisation rather than a competing council.

Direct peers

• Wellington Town Council (Somerset): Town council in Somerset delivering directly analogous services (allotments, parks, community grants, venue hire) under the same statutory framework as Chard Town Council.
• Glastonbury Town Council: Somerset town council with overlapping remit including parks, allotments, markets, and community events, comparable in scale and statutory function to Chard.
• Frome Town Council: Somerset town council with a comparable mix of community engagement, cultural programming, and venue/asset management, operating at a similar scale to Chard Town Council.
• Wells City Council: City council in Somerset operating at the same tier of local government as Chard Town Council, with comparable heritage, tourism, and community service responsibilities.
• Shepton Mallet Town Council: Somerset town council delivering a directly analogous portfolio of allotments, parks, cemetery, markets, and community grants under the same legal framework.
• Yeovil Town Council: Another Somerset town council operating under the same UK local government framework as Chard, delivering community services, parks, allotments, and venue hire from a comparable scale of operation.
• Taunton Town Council: Somerset-based town council providing local services, community grants, and event programming in a comparable Somerset town setting, making it a directly comparable tier of UK local government.
• Bridgwater Town Council: Somerset town council of similar tier and remit to Chard, providing local civic services, events, and community grants within the same upper-tier Somerset Council area.

Broad incumbents

• Somerset Council: The upper-tier unitary authority that Chard Town Council works with on highways, planning, and other statutory services. It is a broader incumbent in the same local government hierarchy rather than a direct peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyCZ-4kDXf342_NvyVdNyNw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Chard-Town-Council-100067165552324
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chard-town-council

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chard Town Council