Counties
Skip hire in Somerset
“Somerset” is three highway authorities, not one permit office. Somerset Council covers most of the historic county. North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset are separate unitaries. A skip on the public road needs a licence from the authority that looks after that road.
This is a hub, not a list of firms. Skip Clerk does not invent provider rankings, phone numbers or “top skips in Somerset”. Check the carrier’s CBDU number, then ask who will apply for the road licence.
Three authorities, not one
Somerset Council became the unitary for the former county and district area on 1 April 2023. It replaced Somerset County Council and the four districts (Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset). North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset were already unitaries and stayed separate. That is still the map today.
If the skip sits wholly on private land you control, you do not need a highway licence. If any part sits on the public road, you do. You cannot put a skip on the pavement. National rule: Do I need a skip permit? and GOV.UK skip licence (England and Wales).
Who issues the road licence
| Authority | Who applies | Notice and duration (as published / checked 2 Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Somerset Council · council page | Accredited contractors only. The hire firm applies, not the householder. | At least 10 working days. Permit valid 28 days. Fee on that page: £109 (non-refundable). Extension is a further £109. |
| North Somerset Council · council page | The company providing the skip. Applications with the applicable fee and £5 million public liability cover. | At least five working days. Permits from one day up to 28 days. Fee in the 2026–27 charges PDF: £86 standard, £122 with less than five working days’ notice, £172 retrospective. A skip on the highway also needs a parking bay suspension. |
| Bath and North East Somerset · council page | Supplier or contractor. Householders may not apply on their own. | Urgent applications 2 days; others up to 5 days. Private land with no encroachment: no licence. This page does not print a skip-licence fee – BANES did not list one on the application page today. |
Fees change. Use the council page on the day you book. Bristol is a neighbouring unitary with its own permit – Skip permit: Bristol City Council.
Towns and which authority
Ceremonial Somerset is larger than Somerset Council. Weston-super-Mare is North Somerset. Bath is BANES. Taunton is Somerset Council.
| Place | Highway authority for a road skip |
|---|---|
| Taunton, Wellington, Minehead | Somerset Council |
| Yeovil | Somerset Council |
| Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea | Somerset Council |
| Frome, Wells, Glastonbury, Street, Shepton Mallet | Somerset Council |
| Weston-super-Mare, Portishead, Clevedon, Nailsea | North Somerset Council |
| Bath, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock | Bath and North East Somerset Council |
Town pages now live for Taunton, Yeovil, Bridgwater, Frome, Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Burnham-on-Sea. North Somerset towns also live: Clevedon, Nailsea, Portishead and Yatton. Bristol is next door: Skip hire in Bristol.
If your postcode sits on a boundary, use the GOV.UK postcode finder rather than guessing.
Villages (HoC Village class)
From 13 Sep 2026 Skip Clerk covers House of Commons Village-class settlements inside Somerset Council, not only the S/M/L towns. These pages are not part of the public 1,174 towns claim. Each village page has a unique “About” overview (parish, nearest larger town, character) plus the Somerset Council permit facts. Both waves are now live (174 pages), including Evercreech, Cheddar, Bruton, Montacute, Dunster and Wookey Hole. Full list: Skip hire by town.
Plasterboard at Somerset recycling sites
Somerset Council’s construction-waste page (checked 2 September 2026) lets each household bring up to eight 50-litre sacks of DIY construction waste a month to a recycling site, free, over a maximum of four booked visits. Plasterboard is on that list. Extra plasterboard is listed at £6.60 a sheet. Only waste from your own home. If someone you are paying takes it, the site can treat it as commercial. Pre-book. Not every site takes plasterboard – read the live page.
That is a Somerset Council HWRC rule, not a North Somerset or BANES rule. National gypsum background: Plasterboard and skips.
How to hire without a fake directory
- Decide the size from the job, not the county – What size skip do I need?.
- If it has to sit on the road, tell the firm which authority you are in and ask them to apply. Same-day drops are much more realistic on a driveway.
- Ask for the waste-carrier number and check it – how to check a waste carrier licence.
- Keep plasterboard, electricals and sofas out of a mixed skip unless the operator says otherwise – what you cannot put in a skip.
Skip Clerk has no hire partners yet and no prices for skip hire on this page. When we add a booking link it will be marked as an affiliate link. Until then, use a licensed local operator and the council pages above.
Sources
- Somerset Council: a new council for Somerset – unitary from 1 April 2023. Confirmed in The Somerset (Structural Changes) Order 2022.
- Somerset Council: apply for skip licence – contractors only; £109; 10 working days; 28 days. Checked 2 September 2026.
- North Somerset: licence to place objects or structures on the highway – skips listed; company applies; five working days; 1–28 days. Fees: 2026–27 charges PDF (£86 / £122 / £172). Bay suspension: parking waivers.
- BANES: permission to place skips on the highway – supplier applies; 2 or 5 days; no skip-licence fee printed on that page today.
- Somerset Council: construction and demolition waste disposal – household DIY plasterboard allowance and £6.60 extra-sheet charge. Checked 2 September 2026.
- GOV.UK: skip licence (England and Wales) and Highways Act 1980, section 139.
- No invented provider list or hire prices on this page.