district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic; their role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council. The South Somerset district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, the library, roads, public transport, trading standards and waste disposal. It is part of Somerton and Frome, a constituency of the House of Commons. The current member of parliament is the conservative politician David Warburton. Prior to Brexit in 2020, residents of Wincanton also formed part of the electorate for the South West England constituency for elections to the European Parliament. Services Wincanton Community Hospital in Dancing Lane was formerly known as Verrington Hospital and in March 2015 had 28 beds on two wards plus intermediate care unit. It opened as an Isolation Hospital in September 1910 for patients with scarlet fever. The Balsam Centre is a Healthy Living Centre and also a Children's Centre for Wincanton and South East Somerset. The (War) Memorial Hall, which opened on 9 January 1959, has a stage as well as facilities for dancing or for seating 250. It also has a separate committee room that can seat 50. Fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the South Western Ambulance Service. Geography Wincanton is situated on the northeast edge of Blackmore Vale, northeast of Yeovil, and northwest of Shaftesbury on the extreme southeast of Somerset close to the borders of Dorset and Wiltshire. Climate Along with the rest of South West England, Wincanton has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is about ; due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures