A SOMERSET council will spend more than £30,000 after the next local elections to buy mobile devices for all of its councillors.

South Somerset District Council is made up of 60 elected representatives, who are all up for election on May 2, 2019.

The council is in the process of setting its budget for next year, as well as agreeing a list of capital projects which it intends to undertake over the next five years.

Within this list is a commitment to supply “new mobile devices” to all councillors in 2019/20, at an expected cost of £33,000.

Details of the project were published ahead of the council’s district executive committee meeting in Yeovil on Thursday afternoon (January 10).

The project does not specify what kind of mobile device would be provided, but indicates the money would come from existing reserves.

A spokesman said: “The £33,000 for mobile devices is a provision of funding to supply a device for each of the 60 ward members.

“No decision has been made yet on what device to be purchased, but funding is being requested now as the devices will be required during the 19/20 financial year.

“Further details on the bids within the appendix of this report will be included within the budget monitoring report which will come before the district executive in February.”

The council intends to spend £113,000 over the next five years on IT projects, all of which will be paid for out of existing reserves.

Alongside the mobile devices, it attends to spend £50,000 over a period of two years upgrading its firewalls and security systems, and a further £30,000 on upgrading its financial management system.