At Mendip District Council, it's Lib Dem, Green or Tory, same old story

 

Lib Dems, Greens, Tories
all robbing your council tax

Somerset Independents Co-Founder Denise Wyatt spoke at last night's Mendip Council Budget Full Council. Her full speech is below. 

She asked councillors to not increase council tax, but they did. Every councillor did except one, Green Councilor Francis Hayden, who was barred from voting - because he had not paid his council tax. 

Yes, really.

Denise Wyatt

Responding, Denise says: 

"Lib Dem, Green, Tory - same old story. Whether it is Mendip Council or Somerset County Council, these councillors think YOU should pay more council tax. They all voted to increase it. Mendip councillors and Somerset County Councillors are a disgrace."

Denise's Full Speech is below.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Barry O'Leary, in presenting the council tax increases, said that residents should not be getting a refund of their council tax, which was suggested by Denise in her speech.

Lib Dem Councillor Garfield Kennedy, who earlier supported spending more money on "the arts", said it is a "false economy" to freeze council tax. Cllr O'Leary agreed.

Incredibly, despite residents struggling during the Pandemic and the failures of Mendip Council to provide services and value for money, ALL Mendip District Councillors voted FOR the council tax increase. 

All that was, apart from Green Cllr Francis Hayden who said that he had been told that he was in arrears, and has not paid his council tax.

So these councillors want to tell you to pay MORE council tax, but there was one who has not paid his own council tax. Isn't that the height of hypocrisy?

Several councillors mentioned at the meeting that they thought councillors might have been voting without having heard all of the debate. "We're all grown-ups", says Chair Lib Dem Councillor Helen Sprawson-White, and did not ask for any councillor's vote to be discounted.

The Chair claimed that the vote to approve the increase in council tax was "as unanimously as we could have done". She was glossing over the fact that a councillor has not paid his council tax, and is in arrears, so was barred from voting on the council tax of everybody in Mendip.

So there we have it - yet another increase to our council tax, to add to the Police and County Council increases. 

During a pandemic, they increased our council tax.

Lib Dems, Green and Tory councillors take our money for granted. They need to be removed.

Denise Wyatt Full Speech to Mendip District Council Full Council, 22nd February 2021

This budget is shocking.

Why is our council tax increasing? We should be getting a rebate

It’s not just Council Tax you want to increase - is it?

You propose to Increase the charges for - Garden waste bins and worse burial costs.

Bins that’s another subject. Less service or no service at all.  Have you seen the complaints on social media? If you’re lucky enough to get your bin collected, it now only happens every three weeks.

It’s also no surprise that fly tipping in Mendip is worse than ever.

Also you are expecting residents to do your litter picking and street weeding for you. What other services do you expect the public to do?

In your report your expectation is and I quote “Society will assist in the delivery of services.”

Your accounts - My objection to your accounts was regarding your Investment Property. This only occurred because you didn’t listen to me over your governance. So I had no choice but to contact the External Auditor Ernst and Young. Who because of my objection is investigating what has been going on?

On this point, I would like to thank your s151 Officer.

With regard to income from these investment properties, several of your tenants are falling behind with their rental payments to the tune of just under half a million.

It is also no surprise that the Council is currently maintaining an over-borrowed position.” You are gambling with public money.

Again what’s worse from your reports I gather you are expecting us to pay more money by crowd funding your pet investment schemes? Can’t you get the money from the banks?

Reorganisation costs, even the Councils rigged consultation shows that residents don’t want it.  If reorganisation goes ahead the Council has no funding allocated for transition costs. According to your reports you intend to take money from reserves or “Flexible use of Capital Receipts” So you are going to flog assets for reorganisation and fail more services.

You have also failed to spend grants to build social housing.  I refer you to the Saxonvale disaster and the Easthill  tragedy. 

What sort of a Mickey Mouse council are you?

You are providing fewer services, and likely even fewer

Expect the public to go out and do your job for you 

You are also proposing, the Lib Dem death tax to charge the dead more to be buried

You are being investigated by the external auditor

 

This Council is a disgrace and I repeat the public should be getting a rebate not an increase.