Sandys Hill Lane Frome - Private Eye Reports On Mendip District Council

Cutting from Private Eye
taken from Frome Facebook Group

UPDATE (30/1/21): Saxonvale has now been approved by Mendip councillors despite huge objections, and only after Sandys Hill Lane had already been approved. As we said before, it's an interesting sequence of events, especially in the light of the conflicts of interests that both we, and Private Eye, have exposed.

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Last year, Somerset Independents worked with local residents to oppose the proposal to develop housing near Sandys Hill Lane in Frome. 

Sandys Hill Lane is a single track road that is not suitable for large vehicles. It runs downhill from the Frome McDonald's that is regularly causing road traffic tailbacks. Opposite the McDonald's is Sainsbury's, Pizza Hut and KFC. As residents have noticed, it is also where Avon and Somerset Police park their vehicles.

Sandys Hill Lane, Frome

The Planning Notice
at Sandys Hill Lane

Our investigations and reports were published after the Planning Board at Mendip District Council shamefully approved the scheme in a grubby meeting that we reported here. 

As you can see in the photo, the proposal is a departure from the local plan. It is also not mentioned in the Frome Neighbourhood Plan, approved by a Referendum of residents in 2016. Yet when challenged by Somerset Independents, Frome Town Council had not objected and claimed that policies in the Neighbourhood Plan were relevant.

Land in the proposal is owned by Conservative Councillor Philip Ham. The first appearance at the Planning Board led to the issue being deferred to another meeting, because the plans were not clear enough. An administrative error meant it had already been delayed, because those who were supposed to be consulted, were not consulted by Mendip District Council. Anyone would think this was being rushed through, while the brownfield site at Saxonvale remains derelict (UPDATE 30/1/21: now approved for development, but what will actually happen?).

Now the national investigative newspaper Private Eye has reported on Philip Ham. They note the impact on local roads and the ownership of land by Councillor Ham. Private Eye's piece says, and we quote it here in full:

"Like the rest of the country, Somerset is under pressure to build more homes. In delightful Frome, a scheme for 235 houses, a commercial development and a "drive-thru" was recently approved by Mendip district council despite concerns over its impact on local roads. One of the applicants behind the scheme is Mendip councillor Philip Ham, a local farmer who owns part of the land where the large development will be built. 

While backing his own Frome plan, Ham was busy opposing - and winning the fight against - a proposal for 63 houses outside the village of Coleford. Why the sudden aversion to development? The new homes would have been in the Mendip district council ward of Coleford and Holecombe, represented by one Cllr Ham. The development is strongly opposed by the parish council, chaired by Cllr Ham. And local residents, including Cllr Ham, who lives nearby, also cited concern for its impact on ... local roads.

PS: Any local wishing to further examine Ham's role in the Frome development could contact the chair of Mendip's scrutiny board: er, Cllr Ham."

Cllr Ham has since resigned as Chair of the scrutiny board, citing a "ludicrous" lack of transparency over property dealing in Easthill, Frome.

One Frome resident told us:

"I'm sure you couldn't make this stuff up, even after a long night in (the pub)!!"

We are not making it up. It's very real and serious.

We are not amused.

These are very serious conflicts of interest, that have not been managed. We have argued that Mendip District Council is letting these conflicts of interest go unchecked, and Private Eye have noticed it too. 

When our members have spoken at the Planning Board meeting and written to Mendip District councillors to ask them to better manage the conflicts of interest, councillors have not acted to do so. They tried to ignore us, with the Leader of the Council Ros Wyke trying to brush us off and telling us that our concerns over Mendip's governance had been "noted".

Somerset Independents does not take no for an answer.

We continued our campaign to stand up for Frome residents, and for Mendip residents as a whole. And to expose Mendip District Council for its shoddiness and grubbiness in spending YOUR money and affecting YOUR lives.

We flagged a whole range of dodgy practises in a formal Objection to the Mendip District Council accounts, following detailed and lengthy questioning of Council officers including the interim Chief Financial (Section 151) Officer, Richard Bates. The former S151 Officer Paul Deal left suddenly last year.

Ernst and Young, Mendip's external auditors, are now investigating Mendip District Council. More information is available on other articles on this website, including this one. It is due to report back to Mendip's Audit Committee later this month.

We work with Somerset residents to hold Mendip District Council's Lib Dems, who are supposed to be in control, to account. 

The Lib Dems replaced the Tories that came before them. But as author of the "Flatpack Democracy" book, Peter Macfadyen, told us recently as part of our campaigning with the Frome Easthill campaigners, it seems that Mendip is still being run in the same way as the Tories, but by the Lib Dems.

Lib Dem or Tory, same old story? It seems that when we say this phrase, we are spot on, once again. 

What's the point of voting in Lib Dems when you get a plastic, yellow Tory and no change? It's the same in South Somerset District Council and Somerset West and Taunton Council. 

And the "opposition" to the Tories on Somerset County Council is pathetic. Robin Head, local National Education Union rep told our Leader Andrew Pope recently that the Lib Dem councillors are still tainted by their Coalition with the Tories by Nick Clegg and David Cameron.

Mr Head is right. We will continue to work with Somerset residents to expose the failings of Somerset councils and Lib Dem or Tory councillors.

Somerset Lib Dems
Lib Dem or Tory, Same Old Story