COVID-19: Somerset County Council Officer Blames Johnson's Tory Government Relaxation

 

Johnson Late For The Bus Again
The Times, June 2020

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced a mountain of criticism for the way he and his Government have handled the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK. We have written about these serial, continuing and grave failures on this website. 

An example is in the cartoon from The Times in June 2020, when the Pandemic was relatively early on, compared to the public health and anti-democratic horrors we have faced since, and now the figures are worse than ever. 

Another example is from Private Eye below, also in June 2020, pointing out Johnson's record of failure on a multitude of issues:

Private Eye, June 2020

Throughout the Pandemic of this terrible "Novel Coronavirus" as it used to be called, the majority of Somerset* has been covered by the public health responsibilities of Somerset County Council. 

Yet, decisions that affect us all have been made centrally, by the same Government that has failed us. And it has been the local teams that have had to deal with the fallout from the monumentally serious Government failures. 

Local teams should understand local communities better than faceless bureaucrats in the Department of Health and Social Care or serial failure Health Secretary Matt Hancock. But they are constantly undermined by the Government, instead of being empowered. Don't take our word for it, this is the view of many health experts, including local expert Dr Gabriel Scally, Visiting Professor of Public Health at the University of Bristol.

Somerset Independents has sympathy for the local teams in this situation. We will support them when they get things right. And we have told them that.

But like the national Government, local public servants and elected representatives must be held to account if they get things wrong. They should be standing up for Somerset residents, not simply doing what they are told by the national Government and parroting their failures, especially when it puts us at risk. 

This includes local councils blaming local people, instead of standing up for them when they have worked hard to do the right thing. And blaming local people, instead of standing up to the national Government.

And don't just take our word for it on the Government failings. Yesterday (31/12/20) on BBC Radio Somerset, an officer of Conservative-controlled Somerset County Council - Alison Bell, Public Health Consultant - openly blamed the relaxation of restrictions for the increase in infections in Somerset.

Ms Bell said on the Charlie Taylor programme:

"From a Public Health perspective, we welcome these stricter
control measures. In the last 7 days reported, we had 1299 new cases of
Covid in Somerset. That puts us as the third highest area in the
South-West. That's a significant change in Somerset and I think it is a
result of the relaxation in control measures. We haven't even seen the
effects of the Christmas bubbles yet. So the virus has really
capitalised on that relaxation and that's translated in people being
really sick in Somerset. So we needed to do something different and the
Tier 4 restrictions will hopefully deliver that for us."

Ms Bell also said, in praise of local people:

"I think we know that our population has been really good. They've done
everything we've asked of them. They recognise that the County Council
and the NHS can do everything we can but it is down to each and every
individual. And they've been really good to date."

So it is official, from a Somerset County Council Public Health Consultant - that WE, THE SOMERSET RESIDENTS, HAVE DONE EVERYTHING WE'VE ASKED.

AND IT IS THE TORY GOVERNMENT THAT HAS FAILED US.

A full transcript of the interview, produced by us, will be made available in the public interest and in the interest of Somerset residents. Update: NOW AVAILABLE HERE.

Somerset residents are supposed to be protected from the outbreak by the Director of Public Health, the local NHS and the Conservative-led Administration of the County Council. Enforcement of the law is supposed to be carried out by Avon and Somerset Police.

In 2020, Somerset Independents put all of these authorities under pressure, to hold them to account on behalf of all Somerset residents. We listened to the concerns of residents and put these to:

• the Director of Public Health, Trudi Grant, and her staff
  
• the elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Sue Mountstevens, and the Police and Crime Panel who are supposed to assist in holding her to account on behalf of Somerset residents
  
• the Leader of Somerset County Council, Conservative Councillor David Fothergill and other members of his Cabinet responsible for Education, Health and Social Care, and the Council finances
  
• boards of the local NHS hospitals
  

Sadly, it seems that too many of these local teams are not serving you, the Somerset public.

They are not standing up for you enough. This is especially the case with Somerset County Council.

Sadly, when you have a Tory County Council and Tory Government, they are unlikely to put residents first. It is unlikely to happen, because the Conservatives put themselves and their Party first, and residents last.

County Council elections are due to be held in May 2021. We ask you to VOTE THE CONSERVATIVES OUT. Somerset Independents intends to stand candidates.

But the Tory councillors and the Tory Government are trying to get the elections cancelled!

Yes, Conservative County councillors voted to ask the Conservative Government to cancel the 2021 elections. They voted to extend their own terms of election and get allowances.

They claim that it is because your councils are going to be re-organised. Who by? By the Conservative Government with the permission of the local Conservative and Lib Dem councillors who are in control of the fours district councils! 

Did they ask you? NO! Somerset Independents has consistently called on all district and county councillors to support a Referendum before any changes are made.

So as we always say here at Somerset Independents - the national parties - Labour, Lib Dems, Greens and Tories - let you down.

VOTE THEM OUT AND VOTE SOMERSET INDEPENDENTS COUNCILLORS IN.

Only then will you get proper representation by people who care about the people of Somerset, instead of doing what they are told by the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrat Party, the Green Party or the Conservative Party.

Only then will you get councillors who stand up for you.

Only then will you get councillors who stand up to the Government when they fail you again.

And if there is no Independent councillor or candidate in your area - contact us to see whether you could be a candidate. 

* excluding the two unitary authorities for North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES)