PCC ELECTION: Independent Candidate John Smith's Responses To Our Questions

John Smith is hoping to become PCC
as Sue Mountstevens is not standing

Somerset Independents is not standing a candidate in the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Election 2021. More information on our decision, and information on all candidates, are in our updated article here.

Instead, we are holding all of the candidates to account and challenging them to answer the questions that residents want answered.

We have asked questions to all 5 candidates. Some of the questions are the same for all candidates. The other questions are based on what each candidate has said in public.

All candidates were asked their questions over the most recent weekend.

Below is the FULL response from Independent Candidate John Smith. He was the fourth candidate to respond.

At the time of writing (6.30pm 30th April 2021), only one candidate, the Liberal Democrat Heather Shearer, is yet to respond to our questions. Her campaign has also not provided an email address for the campaign, so we were forced to use her Mendip District Council email address. She has been chased for a response but still not responded.

The below are the opinions of the candidate and NOT Of Somerset Independents.

Please see below responses to your questions from John Smith – the Independent Candidate

1. Please see the article that we published at:

 https://www.somerinds.org/2021/03/avon-and-somerset-police-what-does.html

 (a) We would like to hear what you think of Ms Mountstevens' responses to our questions - what you agree with, what you do not agree with, and why you think you would do better as PCC?

 We are particularly interested to hear how you respond to our definition of what makes a genuine Independent candidate and representative, as we state here. Our colleagues across England and Wales agree with this definition:

 https://www.somerinds.org/2020/07/what-is-independent-councillor.html

I agree with your definition of what makes an Independent candidate. Having an independent candidate is important to represent local residents' views only and not the views of a Westminster party group. They should put local residents’ views first and should listen, act and respond to the wants and needs of local people.

I believe independence is important as it means I can also work proactively and pragmatically with all individuals across the area, even if they represent a political party, such as the Labour Mayor in Bristol, the Conservative local council in South Gloucestershire and Somerset, the Lib Dem administration in Bath and North East Somerset, and an independent-led coalition in North Somerset.

Sue Mountstevens is independent because she’s not part of any political party and is fully self-funded, as am I. She has had to deal with very significant budget cuts which has made her role incredibly different. However, despite this her work has been recognised through Avon & Somerset being ranked as one of the best 5 police forces in the country by the independent national police and fire inspectorate.

What’s going to be very different now is the significant investments the Government is making which will enable the PCC to rebuild the force. With the relationships I've built over the last 10 years in the area as well as the knowledge I've gained from speaking with local residents and communities, I am in the best position to build on the work already achieved with key partnerships and use the increased amount of police officers to deliver much improved local policing for local people.

(b) We are asking all candidates this question, but we are particularly interested in the responses from you Mr Smith because you were the Deputy PCC appointed by Ms Mountstevens. This was a flawed process which came under criticism by the Police and Crime Panel. What do you say in response to the findings of the investigation by the sub-panel?

I am strongly committed to transparency, which is the core focus of being Independent. It is important to explain how the process was undertaken and how it fits with the national landscape.

I was indeed appointed to the role of Deputy PCC through an open, fair, and transparent process. 

Following feedback from the panel, Sue Mountstevens publicly advertised the role. She also invited anyone who had declared themselves as a candidate in the previous year to apply and the appointment panel was independently chaired by the leader of a local council and the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Police and Crime Panel observed the interviews. 

Sue did not have a Deputy previously, but the need arose due to the pandemic and extra work load. The Government has since announced it requires all PCCs to make appointments of Deputy PCCs as they recognise the need to strengthen the service, increase accountability and ensure continuity in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

It’s always been clear under the legislation that the PCC doesn’t have to run a process for appointing a Deputy - there are a number of political party deputies in the country that have been appointed without a process, for example in the West Midlands where the Labour PCC appointed a Deputy without an open process and despite their Police and Crime Panel not being in support of this at all. In Thames Valley, the Conservative Deputy was also appointed without a process and is now running as a PCC candidate without standing down from his Deputy role. I stood down before the pre-election period as I felt that was the most transparent thing to do.

2. During the BBC debate with David Garmston, Mr Smith you said the below in relation to the Bristol protests:

 I think there is no need for a public inquiry, I agree with the tactics that have been adopted.

When concerns have been raised about individual officers that in carrying out their duties they have been excessive, I think it’s right that is looked at and I know the Independent Office Of Police Conduct has looked at some cases so I don’t think there’s a need for a further inquiry.

 (a) Time was limited for the BBC event. Would you like to expand on the above please?

 These were very difficult circumstances for the police to manage, during a period of time where group protests were not lawful and legislation was under continual review in response to a fast-changing situation.

Nevertheless, the police facilitated peaceful protests for several hours and gave several warnings to disperse, so I’m content that the tactics used were appropriate for the unusual circumstances under the Covid-19 regulations. However, as mentioned above, where there are concerns raised about individual officers using excessive force to carry out their duties, I think it's right that this is seriously looked at.

You also said in response to David Garmston:

"No, the police respond to burglary. 

Barker: They don’t turn up to every burglary, that was the question, they don’t turn up.

Well, the point I would come back to on Heather’s point is there are a lot less officers over the last four years than there have ever been. Since 2018 when we have been able to increase the number of officers, not through the central government funding but through Council Tax, we’ve reinstated a specialist team, which we only moved away from because of the reduction in numbers and the increase in complex demand. We reintroduced this specialist team, Operation Remedy…

Garmston: Having scrapped it.

 

Yeah, absolutely, David. And we didn’t want to scrap it but when you have 20% less officers and you have an increase in demand and complex sexual cases, I’m afraid difficult decisions have to be made.

Garmston: But burglary is big crime, isn’t it, it has a terrible impact on families.

Burglary is a big crime and it has been shown with this proactive team, in the first year of operation, burglary is down by 10% and the detection rate doubled, so I agree it’s really important."

 (b) Since then, you have tweeted to say that burglary is a terrible crime. Yet you tried to defend a poor response, didn't you? When did you realise that burglary was a terrible crime? Was it only after David Garmston mentioned it, because your response reeked of hubris and complacency?

Burglary has been a priority of mine since the start of my campaign and you will find this in my original manifesto, leaflets and website. I was burgled myself 15 years ago and I know the impact that it can have on individuals and families. I have been releasing policy documents on each of the priorities throughout the last few weeks. The debate did not affect this at all.

(c) In your comments, you also seemed to try to justify the lack of response that is felt by the public from the Police. This is a very common view from the public, against the biased surveys that you and Ms Mounstevens have published, e.g. at the Police and Crime Panel that I spoke at earlier this year. Your views seem very defensive about a poor record, having to rely on HMIC reports instead of public opinion.

Do you feel that you are out-of-touch with public opinion, and if not, what have you done to listen properly to the public? Have you used public PCC resources for your campaign?

I have self-funded my campaign entirely and I am the only candidate who has. I have been very active in getting out in the area and listening to local people’s views and if elected I would continue to do this. 

The context of this debate is around the reduction of police officer numbers, and I think it's fair to acknowledge the HMIC independent evidence based reports of Avon and Somerset’s successes as a police force. I care about what local people think and want and I will work hard to build trust between the public and the police and greatly improve the police response to such incidents with the additional resources now being provided. 

3. On the BBC, you also said, in an exchange with Mr Garmston and Mr Barker:

"Smith: I think, again, the right thing to do is to compare it nationally. At 8%, that level is caught up…

Garmston: The question is where you put your resources.

Barker: Exactly. But you see, it’s not right to question nationally, the point about it is what service are you providing for the people of Avon and Somerset?

And to say, oh well, we’re as good as North Yorkshire or whatever is not good enough. When we look at the figures that show how bad we are we’ve got to do things differently"

 

The people of Avon and Somerset do not care about other areas. They care about our area. Again, you came across as defensive of a poor record and full of excuses. Why is this?

In your Twitter response to our question, you do not think Avon should be split from Somerset:

"I don’t see any advantage to Somerset or the Avon area in separating the policing service – it would likely create extra costs at a time when I would want any investment to be spent on improving services. I think my Rural Strategy is best delivered as part of a combined force. I’m always happy to hear ideas of what can be improved though."

(a) Would you agree with me that it is obvious from looking at the budget of Avon and Somerset, that resources are disproportionately sent to Bristol which could be spent in Somerset?

No, I wouldn't agree. The police’s resources are deployed across the area on a threat, harm and risk basis. One advantage of having a bigger force area is that specialist resources can be deployed across a larger area. A number of smaller forces aren't able to retain specialist units. I do not agree that any area is favoured over any other and nor should it be.

(b) You may not realise it having never been an elected representative, but in my experience, people do not vote for a "Strategy". They vote for results. And as pointed out by other candidates including Mr Barker, the record is poor and public opinion is not what is made out by yourself and Ms Mountstevens. I have seen officers try to become elected representatives before and they usually struggle.

Why do you think that you can represent the public when you have only been "behind the scenes" as Chief Exec as Deputy PCC?

In terms of results, the fair analysis is to compare how Avon & Somerset uses its much reduced resources compared to other areas. This is the test that the independent national inspectorate HMICFRS use. On the latest national comparisons, Avon & Somerset is ranked in the top 5 forces in the country, only two other forces have a higher record. Wendy Williams, her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary in her last commentary on Avon & Somerset's performance stated as follows: "Overall, I congratulate Avon and Somerset Constabulary for its excellent performance over the past year. I am confident that it is well equipped for this to continue."

Here's a link to this commentary https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/peel-assessments/peel-2018/avon-and-somerset/

Of course, there is plenty of room for improvement but any analysis of performance which does not take into account the reduced resources seems flawed and unfair to me.

I believe that my experience leaves me extremely well-placed compared to the other candidates to fulfil this role.

4. Please could you read the article on our website about Mendip district councillors who have not paid their council tax, but who have still remained councillors.

https://www.somerinds.org/2021/04/revealed-two-mendip-councillors-paid.html

 

(a) Do you think it is right that Councillor Hayden and the unnamed councillor have not paid their council tax?

I believe all citizens should pay taxes that they are due to pay. I am not familiar with the individual circumstances of the councillors and have no comment to make on their cases.

(b) Do you think it is right that they remain as councillors and still vote on matters affecting thousands or even tens of thousands of people?

As above

(c) Do you think it is right that Mendip District has refused to provide us with the name of the other councillor who has not paid?

As above

(d) Would you support our campaign for criminal records (DBS) checks for all councillors, MPs and PCCs?

More information on our campaign is on our website:

https://www.somerinds.org/2020/11/dbs-campaign-latest-mendip-and-taunton.html

I support the requirement for criminal record checks for PCCs.  

John Smith
Your independent PCC candidate for Avon & Somerset

 

PCC ELECTION: Our Q & As With the PCC Candidates - What Did They Answer on Criminal Records and Council Tax Arrears?

Sue Mountstevens will be replaced by
the newly-elected PCC

Somerset Independents is not standing a candidate in the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Election 2021. More information on our decision, and information on all candidates, are in our updated article here.

Instead, we are holding all of the candidates to account and challenging them to answer the questions that residents want answered. We have picked these up from listening to residents over the past year, since we were formed during Lockdown in 2020.

We have asked questions to all 5 candidates. Some of the questions are the same for all candidates. The other questions are based on what each candidate has said in public.

Now we are not saying these candidates have done so, but some candidates might not want to answer our questions, or to re-phrase questions, or only give partial answers.

We prefer to let YOU make up your own mind.

The questions that we asked to all candidates are below. The others were specific to each candidate.

Let us know what you think of the answers, or non-answers! Contact us here.

 

Question 1

Please see the article that we published at:

https://www.somerinds.org/2021/03/avon-and-somerset-police-what-does.html

We would like to hear what you think of Ms Mountstevens' responses to our questions - what you agree with, what you do not agree with, and why you think you would do better as PCC.

... questions were sent which were specific to each candidate based on public statements or policies that they have spoken or written about, or points of contention that Somerset Independents feel are important to Somerset residents and how we are policed...

Question 4

4. Please could you read the article on our website about Mendip district councillors who have not paid their council tax, but who have still remained councillors.

https://www.somerinds.org/2021/04/revealed-two-mendip-councillors-paid.html

(a) Do you think it is right that Councillor Hayden and the unnamed councillor have not paid their council tax?

(b) Do you think it is right that they remain as councillors and still vote on matters affecting thousands or even tens of thousands of people?

(c) Do you think it is right that Mendip District has refused to provide us with the name of the other councillor who has not paid?

(d) Would you support our campaign for criminal records (DBS) checks for all councillors, MPs and PCCs?

More information on our campaign is on our website:

https://www.somerinds.org/2020/11/dbs-campaign-latest-mendip-and-taunton.html

Their Answers (more to follow...):

On 4(d), in relation to criminal records checks, the OCC candidates said:

Mark Shelford (Conservative and newly-elected to the PCC role): "In relation to roles in public office, yes I believe that there should be checks made on the suitability for candidates to be in public office."

Kerry Barker (Labour and 2nd in the election): "I agree that all elected officials should have to undergo criminal records checks – just as I have always had to do for being a school governor or a trustee of a charity."

Cleo Lake (Green): " I agree that all those in public office should undergo a full DBS Check so yes I would support your campaign on this."

John Smith (Independent): "I support the requirement for criminal record checks for PCCs."  

Heather Shearer (Lib Dems): Did not answer ANY of our questions, including on criminal records checks. 

Standing Up For Residents

PCC ELECTION: Green Candidate Cleo Lake's Responses To Our Questions

Cleo Lake
Green Candidate for PCC

Somerset Independents is not standing a candidate in the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Election 2021. More information on our decision, and information on all candidates, are in our updated article here.

Instead, we are holding all of the candidates to account and challenging them to answer the questions that residents want answered.

We have asked questions to all 5 candidates. Some of the questions are the same for all candidates. The other questions are based on what each candidate has said in public.

All candidates were asked their questions over the most recent weekend.

Below is the FULL response from Green Candidate Cleo Lake. She was the third candidate to respond.

The below are the opinions of the candidate and NOT Of Somerset Independents.

 

Cleo Lake's Responses To Our Questions

 

The more recent questions:

There may be various reasons why Councillors fall behind or fail to pay council tax on time, I know there have been and can be administration errors but I think that all those in public office should do the best they can and when a situation occurs to act quickly to rectify it and apologise.  I am more concerned by the suggestion that a councillor had not attended Full Council for 6 months whilst still taking their allowance but note that they have now resigned. I agree that all those in public office should undergo a full DBS Check so yes I would support your campaign on this. 

Other answers

1. We asked Sue Mountstevens about her being an "Independent" PCC:

I have been supported by the Green Party and stand as their candidate.  I would not have had the resources or team support to have stood to make a difference otherwise.  What is unique about the Green Party is that as politicians we are not ‘whipped’. As a Bristol City Councillor since 2016, I have had the freedom to vote how I wanted to at Full Council for example.  Having said that I am inline with a number of the Green Party policies as I see them as more progressive in many ways. I would ensure that I do not bring big P politics into the role, working with the Police & Crime Panel which is cross party, I hope will be similar to my experience of being on Avon Fire Authority since 2017, where elected members worked on the whole cohesively cross party and across geographical boundaries to keep communities safe. 

2. We asked Sue Mountstevens about her appointment of John Smith as her Deputy PCC. We also asked her about the Nolan Principles, which all public servants are bound by. We said:

Knowing the scale of the issues faced across the Avon & Somerset area, I would be prioritising recruiting (in the right manner) a Deputy as soon as possible.  Outreach and regular contact with community groups and forums is really important to me, but I can't be everywhere all the time and so I would want a Deputy to share some of that front facing work but also I want to recruit someone who is experienced on institutional reform and budget scrutiny, with an ability to explain this to communities.

3.  We asked about the boundaries of Avon and Somerset for policing:

There are some significant differences in the geography and demographics between Bristol, Avon & Somerset. However there are some cross cutting concerns such as road safety, cyber fraud, youth interventions, anti social behaviour and drugs activity.  I would heavily scrutinize our resource, capacity , response and patrol strategy to ensure where possible that all communities have visible policing.  Police hubs and police stations are important and we must do all we can to assure people wherever they are, that it is important to report crime and that they receive an adequate and considerate response in a timely manner that justifies the council tax precept. When you pay for a service you expect to receive a service. 

4. Consultations and surveys have mixed results and engagement and I think they should always run alongside going out and hearing from people and gaining testimonials and qualitative data. Results can often be skewed to fit a particular narrative and at best only provide a snapshot of opinion. It would be important to me to interact with as many community forums as possible, encouraging more consortiums where possible that synergies particular groupings and also have a way of creating better dialogue and communication with local councillors so that we can constantly get a sense of concerns on the ground, what is working well and what isn't, and effectively monitor and report back.

5. We also asked Ms Mountstevens a set of questions about Coronavirus, the Glastonbury Festival and other large events such as at the Bath and West Showground. We want to see Somerset residents protected.Her response was very disappointing:

Our region is a hot spot for cultural and social activity which is one of the great aspects of our identity.  It has been an extremely challenging year or so but I do feel optimistic going forwards.  As a former events manager and St Pauls Carnival Chair, I am watching keenly the results of the gig trials underway in Liverpool.  We must ensure safety is paramount before attempting to return to how things were pre covid. I am also not in denial about the recreational drug scene and have concerns about the possibility of more illness and overdose following lockdown and so I think it is very worthwhile opening collective thinking on drugs testing for party goers for example, to avoid episodes of overdose and fatalities. Education on alcohol and drugs must continue as more needs to be done to mitigate the numerous issues connected to misuse. 

Regards 

---

Cleo Lake
Green Party Police & Crime Commissioner Candidate
Avon & Somerset Police

 

PCC ELECTION: Conservative Candidate Mark Shelford's Responses To Our Questions

 

Mark Shelford

Somerset Independents is not standing a candidate in the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Election 2021. More information on our decision, and information on all candidates, are in our updated article here.

Instead, we are holding all of the candidates to account and challenging them to answer the questions that residents want answered.

We have asked questions to all 5 candidates. Some of the questions are the same for all candidates. The other questions are based on what each candidate has said in public.

All candidates were asked their questions over the most recent weekend.

Below is the FULL response from Conservative Candidate Mark Shelford. He and Kerry Barker responded were the first candidates to respond. As of 29th April, they were still the only candidates to respond.

The below are the opinions of the candidate and NOT Of Somerset Independents.

---

Dear Mr Pope,

Thank you for the opportunity for commenting on the wider range of topics.

 

I have summarised them as best as possible.

 

Question 1

 

Politics on policing

 

Whatever your views on the rights and wrongs of politics in policing, the facts are that politics have always been in policing. The British police service is revered across the world as being one of the best, if not the best policing structure. These sentiments  are more obvious now than ever before. I am incredibly proud of our policing by consent approach which has been built over many years. This principle formed the bedrock of the “Peelian Principles” which originated from Sir Robert Peel, who himself was a Conservative statesman, prime minister, home secretary and the founder of the Metropolitan police. 

 

The current policing structure makes it very clear where governance starts and finishes and what operational independence is. I am also very clear that operational delivery is the total responsibility of the Chief Constable. They have the responsibility to deliver on the Police and crime plan, and rightly so. They have the responsibility to meet the needs and expectations of the community and under pins the principle of policing by consent. 

 

I am a politician but let me be very clear.  I will be the PCC first and a politician second. I know exactly where politics is in our policing system and I believe it will be incredibly beneficial to Avon and Somerset Police if I were elected as a conservative candidate. I am  politically knowledgeable but my values drive my every word or action.  That mean that politics will not affect my commitment, integrity and morale compass to the role, the community and the brilliant people who serve the public. I will do what is right for them and most importantly do what is right for the communities we serve.

 

The role of PCC is not to try to be the Chief Constable but hold them to account which will be at the heart of my approach to governance. Its different to operational policing and rightly so. 

 

I have operated as a senior leader in the military which equips me with the detailed knowledge of strategic leadership which is required if you are to hold the CC to account. This experience will not only enhance my ability to hold the Chief Constable to account but offers a relatively unique opportunity for me to be a coach, mentor and support them in what is a very demanding role.

 

I will also protect the Chief Constable from politics. The fact the current Chief commented upon a political appointment was ill advised and that sort of naivety will not happen on my watch. 

 

Police Boundaries

 

I agree with Sue Mount Stevens in her comments about boundary-less policing in the Constabulary. I will do all that I am able to ensure the force recognises difference in our communities but nevertheless the service is equitable wherever you reside, work or socialise.

 

 

Question 2

 

There is no suggestion from me that the police can do no wrong but I will not engage in criticising the police for political or populist reasons. Policing demonstrations is incredibly complex and very often police commanders are faced with decision which have no good or obvious outcomes. They are constantly having to make the least bad decision and these latest events are no different. The facts are that demonstrations occur in Bristol and across the whole country on a daily basis and very few end up with riotous behaviour. The Bristol demonstrations were ruined by a minority hell bent on using violence against property and people. 

 

If and when I become the PCC the brave men and women of the force who put their lives on the line on a daily basis will get my support. I will not blindly loyal to them but I will be pragmatic and balanced based upon my own experiences of being involved in the policing of demonstrations across the world in my military career.

 

Question 3

 

The decision to undertake austerity measures was appropriate at the time due to the extreme global economic climate. The decision to try to spend the country out of the deep dark financial hole we were all in was not and did not work, therefore I supported the austerity measures in the first instance. I do believe however the cuts may have been for too long and too deep and I have now welcomed the Prime Ministers intervention and now the government is starting to pump money back into policing. 

 

I have no doubts that morale of the service was dented by those decisions, simply because the demands were outweighing the resources. I have no doubt that demands on policing increased because of the lack of resources.

 

That said, I will expect the Chief Constable to deliver high quality services with the budget they will receive and I will fulfil my responsibilities so that they are able to deliver the service the public requires. 

 

Finally, I will not be spending all my energy focussing on the past as I am unable to change it. I will learn from the past and concentrate on delivering in the present.

 

Question 4

 

I will not be drawn into specific cases and nor should you expect me at this time.

 

In general, though I expect everyone to pay taxes they are legally required to pay. I expect public bodies to do the right thing when their members from whatever political persuasion are not leading or governing with integrity.

 

In relation to roles in public office, yes I believe that there should be checks made on the suitability for candidates to be in public office.

 

Thank you for the opportunity to answer your questions.

 

Mark Shelford | Conservative Candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset

 

PCC ELECTION: Labour Candidate Kerry Barker's Responses To Our Questions

 

Kerry Barker Labour PCC Candidate

Somerset Independents is not standing a candidate in the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Election 2021. More information on our decision, and information on all candidates, are in our updated article here.

Instead, we are holding all of the candidates to account and challenging them to answer the questions that residents want answered.

We have asked questions to all 5 candidates. Some of the questions are the same for all candidates. The other questions are based on what each candidate said in public.

All candidates were asked their questions over the most recent weekend.

Below is the FULL response from Labour Candidate Kerry Barker. He was the first candidate to respond.

They are the opinions of the candidate and NOT Of Somerset Independents.

 

Somerset Independents – Responses of Kerry Barker

Background

First as a justices’ clerk, running magistrates’ courts, and second as a barrister based in Bristol since 1991, working in all courts in Avon and Somerset, I have over 50 years’ experience of criminal justice. I know first-hand how budget cuts and local strategic decisions impact the ability of police officers to do their work; to detect crimes and to keep people safe. The effect of closing police stations, cutting back on officer numbers in local communities and disbanding specialist teams of detectives can be seen in the detection rates for the crimes that affect ordinary people in our region.

Part of my legal practice was to undertake judicial review cases. These cases always involved challenges to public bodies such as the police, local authorities, and central government departments. I am very used to challenging the decisions of public bodies and holding them to account.

1. Mrs Mountstevens – why would you make a better Police and Crime Commissioner?

The primary purpose of the PCC is to hold the police to account on behalf of the public. Mrs Mountstevens has failed to do this. Most people regard her as a spokesperson for the police.

The consequence has been that even when she has upheld complaints against the police – as individual members of the Labour Party have told me that she has in their own cases – the police have ignored her rulings.

The Nolan principles apply to all office holders and all public bodies. The fact that you stood as an independent makes no difference. Unfortunately, “keeping politics out of policing” means that you don’t campaign against political decisions such as cuts to police budgets and other unpopular laws that place unnecessary burdens on the police.

I will hold the police to account, but I will also campaign for better resources for them and for other public services in order to reduce the burden on police officers. They should not have to be social workers. They should not have to be mental health nurses.

2. BBC Hustings – could I do better than John Smith?

In the example that you gave quoting what I said, the interviewer cut me off before I had finished dealing with the failure of the police to catch criminals. The full statement should read:

“If you ask people what is the purpose of the Police they’ll tell you it is to prevent crime and catch criminals, and that is the test, the last nine years has been a disaster because crime has gone up but he detection rate has gone rapidly down and so if you look at things like violent and sexual crime, in 2012 there were just under 18,000 offences reported to the police and the detection rate was just under 50% …”

I later added words to the effect of:

“ … 2012 was the year that the PCC was first elected. By 2019 the number of violent and sexual offences had soared to over 47,000 but the detection rate had fallen to 12%.”

As a criminal barrister who specialised in abuse cases and who was a specialist rape prosecutor I knew that the PCC and Chief Constable had agreed, as a strategy, to scrap the specialist teams of detectives and in particular the sexual assaults team. I discussed it with them at the time of the last PCC election and warned them of the devastating consequences of disbanding that team.

Regrettably my warnings proved to be accurate. As a force the expertise of that team was lost. Experienced detectives became disillusioned and left the force. The so-called omni-competent teams of detectives failed to support victims and collect evidence in the way that the old specialist team had, and the detection rate crashed down to 12%.

2(a) Where do you think John Smith as Deputy PCC/Chief Executive has gone wrong?

Of course, John Smith was always the power behind the throne. He was behind the centralisation of police services and the scrapping of the specialist teams. He now claims to be able to prioritise the safety of girls and women whilst his record shows that he did just the opposite.

I promise to reinstate the specialist teams of detectives, but it will take time to retrain and build up the experience that those lost officers had.

The whole notion of centralising police services, closing police stations was a modern trend followed without real thought for the consequences. Just as was the involvement of Avon and Somerset Police in the doomed ‘SouthWest 1’ fiasco.

With each closure came the claim that the police would be more effective and more efficient. It is not effective policing to have to take an arrested person from Frome to Bridgwater or Keynsham or Bristol (Patchway) thus removing at least two officers from the area they were policing for a number of hours. When they remove the cells from Yeovil police station – as is proposed – the same will apply there.

The best policing is based upon intelligence. Local intelligence gathered by local police officers who know their patch and know their people. And where the local people know them.

Reducing local policing to 1.7 police officers per 10,000 population (Parliamentary Report on Funding of Community Policing 2017) is not best policing.

The public lose confidence in local policing when police stations are closed. Information desks in council offices or libraries or fire stations are not police stations. Information desks which close at 5 pm are not police stations. Information desks are not places of refuge for women attacked by their partners during the night.

In all these areas John Smith has got it wrong.

The detection rate for rural crime such as thefts from farms is only 4%. That is the result of the policies set by Mrs Mountstevens and John Smith.

2(b) Did Mrs Mountstevens appoint Mr Smith as her deputy in the right way?

It is quite clear that Mrs Mountstevens appointed Mr Smith as her deputy in order to give him a platform from which to campaign for election. Indeed, Mrs Mountstevens has herself been campaigning for Mr Smith. Just ask any of the residents’ associations that she has addressed in recent months.

Ask any serving police officer and they will, without exception, tell you that John Smith has used his office to conduct his campaign.

And they talk about keeping politics out of policing. They have been doing little else but politicking during the past twelve months.

It is also clear that the Chief Constable was seduced into giving Mr Smith a personal endorsement completely against the rules governing the involvement of Chief Constables in the election of PCCs. In years past when public standards were so much higher that might have been a resigning issue.

3. Making better use of existing resources and getting more money for policing. What would you prefer money spent on – police being on the beat or police buildings?

As I have set out above having a local police station gives confidence to members of the public about local police operations.

The local police station is not just a building it is the location for the local command structure. It is where local police officers are based. Where the area commander is based – not in distant Portishead but in your area. It is where the local detectives are based.

My strategy will be to have a local command structure for each of the 8 local authority districts comprised in the Avon and Somerset area. That way the police will also be accountable to local councillors and the local MPs. That way public complaints will be taken much more seriously.

You say that I haven’t said where I would get the money from. That is not true. At each Labour party meeting and each public meeting that I have addressed I have raised the issue of local funding. In addition to raising the local precept in accordance with government imposed limits the PCC can seek greater increases through the medium of a local referendum. Mrs Mountstevens and her office refused to engage with such a process.

Where it can be justified, I will campaign for additional resources and identify exactly how and where any additional funds will be spent.

And, if elected I will always be responsible for the budget in accordance with my statutory duty.

4. Publicly elected office holders who do not pay their taxes.

I do not believe that office holders be they councillors or others appointed, as opposed to being elected, should be allowed to continue in those offices if they have not paid their taxes – either local or national taxes.

I agree that all elected officials should have to undergo criminal records checks – just as I have always had to do for being a school governor or a trustee of a charity.

Kerry Barker

Labour Party Candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset

UPDATED (11/5/21): TWO Mendip Councillors Getting Councillor Allowance But Did Not Pay Council Tax

Green Councillor Francis Hayden
Did Not Pay Council Tax
from April 2020 to Feb 2021!

UDPATE (11/5/21): Sedgemoor District Council have replied to our enquiries about their councillors. More here.

UPDATE (7/5/21): Because we have discovered that TWO Mendip district councillors have not paid their council tax but still claimed their councillor allowance from the council, we are widening our enquiries.

More to come from Somerset Independents on councillors who vote on things that affect thousands of residents, but who have not paid their own council tax.

And Mendip District Council trying to cover up the identity of the other councillor who had not paid. The Green Councillor Francis Hayden is the councillor who Somerset Independents discovered had not paid from April 2020 to February 2021 while still remaining as a councillor and voting on matters affecting Somerset residents' lives.

---

UPDATE (30/4/21): We have asked for a formal review of Mendip Council's response to our Freedom of Information request (emphasis added and council officer's name removed, as he is a junior officer):

"Dear <council officer's name>,

Thank you for your Reply.

I request a formal review into the Reply, because Mendip District Council has not provided all of the information that I have requested.

It is illuminating that Councillor Hayden was in arrears since April 2020.

It is most illuminating that another councillor was in arrears.

And it is also very interesting that the new S151 Officer appears to have had to educate the Monitoring Officer about the law regarding non-payment of council tax by elected members. 

I note your Refusal Notice, but I do not agree with its contents. For example, I have asked for details of all councillors in arrears. But you have refused to provide all of the names.

This is public information and it is in the public interest that it is released.

If I do not receive the information that I have requested after the review, I will consider contacting the Information Commissioner's Office, relying on previous Tribunal decisions including the one mentioned in <Mendip council tax officer>'s email that is contained within your Reply.

Regards,

Andrew Pope"

 

Now we know that TWO Mendip councillors did not pay their council tax... and Mendip District Council do not want to say who the second councillor is.

Somerset Independents previously revealed that Green Councillor Francis Hayden did not pay his council tax, and was banned from voting on council tax at Mendip District Council.

The law prevented him from doing so. Which is only right.

We gave him a right of reply, and asked Councillor Hayden a set of questions which he failed to properly answer.

We suggested that he resign. Cllr Hayden has not resigned. Cllr Hayden has not been removed from office. He remains a Green councillor. Hayden continues to claim the councillor allowance that is public money - hundreds of pounds per month.

Then we published the news that a Liberal Democrat councillor had resigned. No reasons were given by Councillor Caroline McKinnell, who as we had revealed had previously been absent from her councillor duties for more than six months. 

But Cllr McKinnell claimed payment via her councillor allowance which again is public money. And Mendip's councillors even voted in a public meeting to allow her to go beyond six months.

Between them, Councillor Hayden and Councillor McKinnell would have been paid thousands of pounds in public money, in their councillor allowances.

And as we have reported, council tax continues to rise. Now... it gets worse...

More information has been obtained by Somerset Independents. It shows that:

• At least TWO Mendip councillors were in arrears, as reported by a Council officer to the Section 151 Officer (Chief Financial Officer) Richard Bates.
• Green Councillor Francis Hayden had not paid his council tax since April 2020.
• The identity of the second councillor was deliberately omitted by Mendip District Council from the information that we asked for. We explicitly asked for information on all councillors in arrears on their council tax.
• The S151 Officer appears to have had to educate the Monitoring Officer David Clark about the law regarding non-payment of council tax by elected members, and that they could not vote on setting the council tax.
  

Responding, Somerset Independents Officer and council governance expert Denise Wyatt says:

Denise Wyatt

"It might be OK if Councillor Hayden had forgotten to pay for a couple of months, in an administrative error. Except that he is a councillor, who is supposed to be a position of responsibility.

Now we've found out that as of February 2021, Cllr Hayden had not paid since April 2020. 

Has the Council prosecuted him? The public need to know.

Has the Council given him preferential treatment to other residents who have not paid? The public need to know.

How can he justify remaining a councillor, and claiming councillor allowance, when he hasn't paid? Shouldn't it be deducted from his councillor allowance?

Cllr Hayden can't justify his behaviour, and he should resign. If he doesn't resign, the Green Party should remove their support from him and expel him as a member.

That the Green Party have not done this, shows that they endorse his behaviour.

And now we find out that there is ANOTHER councillor who has not paid.

Worse, Mendip District Council have tried to cover up who it is.

And if the Monitoring Officer was not aware that arrears means a bar on a councillor from voting on council tax, have other councillors been in arrears before and still voted on the council tax for Mendip's approximately 115,000 residents? 

Because if the Monitoring Officer didn't know in 2021, did he know in previous years about the law?

Somerset Independents is now challenging Mendip's cover up and wants more answers to our questions."

Standing Up For Somerset Residents

Mendip Planning Chair Tells Off Green Councillors For Not Knowing the Rules!

 

Mendip District Council
Must Be Abolished

That Mendip's councillors - Lib Dem, Green or Tory - are inept is old news, perhaps. The Council has a terrible reputation amongst residents, amongst council officers and even amongst town and parish clerks.

Mendip District Council has come to the attention of Private Eye and its "Rotten Boroughs" editor, in relation to the Sandys Hill Lane development on land owned by Tory Councillor Philip Ham, former Chair of the Council's Scrutiny Board - until he resigned from it claiming lack of scrutiny - and Chair of the local Parish Council. 

We reported the grubby decision-making on Sandys Hill Lane and the conflicts of interest. 

We opposed Sandys Hill Lane vigorously, unlike the councillors who voted it through the Planning Board, despite huge objections from us and other  local residents. Residents were ignored but Somerset Independents stood up for residents.

The news of how inept Mendip councillors are, needs to be told now because despite repeated failings, councillors are still trying to claim that they are competent and that they stand up for Mendip's residents - nearly a year after this debacle in June 2020. Daniel Mumby of SomersetLive has reported on it, and Lib Dem Councillor Matt Martin as well as Councillor Helen Kay, are criticising his report.

 

Lib Dem or Green
They Let You Down

They do not stand up for Mendip's residents. If they did, then Somerset Independents would not have had to be created in order to stand up for residents. 

The national parties are all the same. The Tory councillors are no better - until 2019 they "ran" the Council. The faces may have changed but the people of Mendip are still not being served. There are no Labour councillors on Mendip.

This example shows just how bad they are.

"Lib Dem Councillor Damon Hooton: With the greatest respect Helen, you've been on the Board now over a year and this has happened at every Board.

Green Councillor Helen Kay: What that certain things are allowed straight through."

At the 17th June 2020 virtual meeting of the Mendip's Planning Board, the meeting had barely started.

But cross words followed when two Green councillors - Councillor Helen Key and Councillor Lindsay MacDougall - cried foul about the rules to the Chair Damon Hooton. 

The agenda item on the rule below had been the same at meetings before, during the year that both Cllr Kay and Cllr MacDougall had been involved in!

Who knows how many people's lives these inept Green councillors had unwittingly affected without knowing it, when they should have been standing up for residents as elected representatives?

Below is what was said.

We publish the transcript in the public interest, so that residents know how awful these councillors are at representing them.

If you don't believe us that councillors could be this bad, you can see for yourself in the official recording. That is, unless Mendip remove it because it is too embarrassing?

Hang on... we have just checked and they have removed it. It was there before.

IT IS JUST AS WELL THAT WE TRANSCRIBED IT THEN!

Please... read on...

Transcript of 17th June 2020 Mendip Planning Board Meeting

06:35 Chair Damon Hooton: ... moving on to agenda item 6 which is Resolution to agree all recommendations made on development management applications not raised for discusssion.

06:45 DH: Now for this evening's agenda, agenda items DM02 and DM03 have been withdrawn. Therefore obviously will not be discussed. But not raised for discussion are agenda items DM05 and DM06.

07:03 DH: Can I have a proposer and a seconder that they be, er, devolved to Development Management according to officer recommendation?

NHC?: Happy to propose Chair

EH?: (seconding...?)

07:13: ? Helen Kay interrupting. Sorry,

07:20: Helen Kay: I don't understand.

07:24: Helen Kay: I'm sorry, I don't understand.

07:28: DH: Who's that? Sorry, please don't interrupt. If you're gonna open up your mike and speak, you at least tell me who you are.

07:39: HK: My apologies, it's Helen Kay. I don't understand. Are we just erm, going to nod through DM05 and DM06? Is that the idea?

07:47: DH: It will go through on officers recommendation. Yes, because they're not raised for discussion, they won't be discussed. And Helen, you know, you've been on the board now for over a year. So they will be passed through with officer recommendation.

08:00 Lindsay Macdougall: It's Lindsay here as well. I've never, erm, I'm not clear about this either. Things being waived through that are on the agenda.

08:12 DH: Martin. (legal adviser)

08:14 Martin: Thank you Chair. Erm, on every agenda, there's this item that is applications that come to the Board, referred to the Board, that are not then raised for discussion are then put to the Board without officer presentation or public speaking or debate and they are determined in accordance with the officer recommendation on those applications.

08:45 Martin: That has been the practise for as many years as I can remember, Chair. And these applications, as far as I know, are no different.

08:59 DH: Thank you Martin.

09:01 HK: Can I come back?

09:02 DH: Yes

09:04 HK?LM?: Do we have any, er, say on this at all then?

09:07 DH: Er, you've had the best part of two to three weeks to have your say on it.

(interrupting, can't tell)

09:17 HK/officer?: Councillor Kay also wish to speak.

09:24 HK: I'm afraid I was unaware of that. I thought that if they were on the agenda, we were going to debate them. And we were gonna have a presentation and I've got notes. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it. Erm, I've got a condition I want to add to DM05 and I'm concerned about flooding for DM06 and the loss of trees. So I did not know that this was going to go straight through.

09:49 DH: With the greatest respect Helen, you've been on the Board now over a year and this has happened at every Board.

09:56 HK: What that certain things are allowed straight through.

10:00 DH: It's not that they're allowed. It's just that they're not raised for discussion. These applications take weeks and months in the making. And the agenda for this, for all of the Boards, comes out two weeks before the Board. So members, any member, you don't have to be ward councillor or anything. Any member can raise any issue and ask for it to be debated. The cut-off was 5pm yesterday and nobody raised it for discussion. No member of the public, not even the ward councillor, not even a member of the Board.

10:36 HK: OK, my understanding was that by default, everything on the agenda is debated, unless somebody raises it, erm, as not to be debated, and that's my misunderstanding and perhaps poor training or not listening when I should have been listening. Erm, I'm prepared to admit that I have not understood that and I am concerned about some of these. DM06 for example,loss of trees and flooding. However, if someone wants to put a motion, I could vote against it on the grounds of the fact that we haven't debated it and I've got some concerns. So if somebody else wants to put a motion and we want to follow due process, that's fine.

11:14 DH: That's fine. I've already asked for that. So could I have a proposer please. Sorry I've already had Edric and seconded by Mike Pullin. Anybody wish to vote against, er, if you don't say I will assume that you will agree with it. So those who want to vote against please.

11:36 HK: I would like to vote against, Helen Kay.

11:41 LM: I would like to vote against, Lindsay Macdougall.

11:42 DH: OK, thank you very much. So they will be passed on a majority verdict, er, in line with officer recommendation.

11:52 DH: Thank you. We move on now to Agenda Item 7....

Explainer: The Lib Dems Could Not Run a bath - or Bath!

 

Mendip Lib Dems
Could Not Run a Bath
- or Bath!

 

Explainer: The State of Somerset's Councils in Mendip and Bath

Somerset has four district councils and one County Council. That is, if you are ignoring the two unitary authorities of North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. It is a complicated picture, with a long history.

We would prefer to see Somerset be defined on the historical Somerset county boundaries. But those changes pre-dated the formation of Somerset Independents in 2020.

Mendip District Council is in the east of the County. Mendip was briefly under the control of Mendip Liberal Democrats. We use the word "control" loosely, as they hadn't really got a grip. They did briefly have a majority of councillors - more councillors than the rest of the 47 put together. So they could force decisions through without the co-operation of Green, Tory and so-called fake "independent" councillors (more of that elsewhere on this website).

Now Mendip Lib Dems have lost this majority and control of the Council, because one of their councillors, Caroline McKinnell, has quit. This has caused a by-election in Wells, as reported on Twitter by Daniel Mumby, SomersetLive's (Reach/Trinity Mirror) Local Democracy Reporter.

Mendip and Bath - Next Door Neighbours

The boundaries of Mendip are adjacent to those of Bath and North East Somerset Council. 

Almost at exactly the same time, the Lib Dems have also lost the Leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Dine Romero. 

Apparently, this was in a power struggle in the Liberal Democrat Group of councillors. But we believe, based on SomersetLive reports by another Local Democracy Reporter - Stephen Sumner - that the Greens also had an influence. 

The relationship between the Greens and Lib Dems in Mendip and Bath is explored in other articles on this website. We believe that this is a malign, undemocratic influence that is affecting Mendip, Bath and North East Somerset. And let's not forget, one Mendip Green Councillor Francis Hayden, voted to increase your council tax but did not pay it himself!

The Mendip Lib Dem Councillor Caroline McKinnell was elected to Mendip in a by-election in 2018, being selected by the Lib Dems with Tom Ronan, with the endorsement of former Lib Dem MP and current County Councillor, Tessa Munt. They were both re-elected shortly after, in the 2019 all-out Mendip elections. 

But Lib Dem Caroline McKinnell never served a full four-year term. And she was absent for a large part of the time that she was supposed to be serving the people of Wells - over six months. We do not know the total number of months of absence, but believe it was around nine months.

Nine months? A curious number. So to try to determine the reasons, we gave her the right of reply. We wrote to Caroline McKinnell to ask for an explanation of why she felt it was right that she continued to receive public money, when she was not serving the public. We received no reply.

But Councillor McKinnell continued to be paid the allowance that councillors receive, despite not doing anything. This was not just the basic allowance. There was more than that. And Mendip councillors voted to continue this robbery of public money.

Lib Dems Robbing
YOUR Money

As stated in council minutes (see * below), if a councillor does not attend a council meeting for six months, they are normally removed from office and a by-election called.

But not at Mendip. They do things differently to the rest of England's councils, as noted by Private Eye and by our work at Somerset Independents.

Mendip councillors voted, in public, to NOT have a by-election. They voted for Councillor McKinnell to continue to receive her allowance and not attend meetings - excerpts of the minutes are below*.

Now she has quit. 

But when she did finally return to do the job, she had an impact.

Caroline McKinnell voted with other councillors to increase your council tax and helped the Lib Dems have a majority on the Council. 

As a councillor, she helped them to make the wrong decisions over YOUR money and YOUR area, voting along with other Lib Dem councillors according to the Liberal Democrat Whip.

So this Lib Dem Councillor whilst absent received an allowance, but:

• did not serve a full term
• was absent for a large part of the time that she was a councillor
• continued to receive the councillor's allowance of public money
  
• did not want to explain to the people of Wells, or to Somerset Independents when challenged
  
• returned to vote on important matters affecting Mendip residents
  

But has now quit. 

In our opinion, she should have been removed under the six-month rule. But Mendip councillors thought they knew better than the people of Mendip, and kept her there (see Minutes below*).

Because ex-Councillor McKinnell has quit, the Lib Dems again do not have a majority on Mendip District Council.

So to Bath...

Local Democracy Reporter Stephen Sumner has reported on the Leader of Bath & NES Council quitting.

As in Mendip, whenever the Lib Dems are mentioned the Greens pop up.

Councillor Romero will be replaced by a new Leader, elected by the Liberal Democrat Group. The Lib Dems have had a majority on BaNES Council, and Ms Romero was its Leader since 2019. So no other councillor had a say in it, apparently.

Except if you read the article and related articles closely, you will notice the Green influence, as in Mendip.

This article mentions "leaked emails" and advice from a former Green candidate. It all but admits secret conversations between the Greens and Lib Dems. This is also what has happened in Mendip, to disastrous and undemocratic effects.

Denise Wyatt is the Nominations Officer for Somerset Independents. Denise approves (and sometimes does not approve!) our candidates for elections. She says:

Denise Wyatt
Nominations Officer for Somerset Independents

"They should be open about any deals they are doing, so that the voters and residents know what they are voting for.

At Mendip Council and at BaNES Council, the councillors of these national political parties are doing deals behind closed doors. They are just the same as the Tories and Labour.

They've done hidden deals before the elections, after the elections and when spending millions of pounds of public money when in control of these local councils.

Somerset Independents has exposed these dodgy deals for what they are.

Where's their transparency? They should be open.

But we've shown, with the help of auditors and council officers, that they do not want to be open.

Because they are ashamed and they are incompetent. They are right to feel that way, but they should not be in office under false pretences, conning residents with backroom deals.

Just look at the damage they are doing to Mendip and Bath!"

* Mendip District Council, Full Council minutes, 24th February 2020 (emphasis added):

"Apologies for Absence 

Councillors Shannon Brooke, John Greenhalgh, Caroline McKinnell and Nigel Woollcombe-Adams

... 

Agenda Item 19

Attendance at Meetings –Authority to Exempt (Councillor Caroline McKinnell)

...Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 confirms that a Councillor who is absent from all meetings of the Council and any Committees and Sub-Committees of which they are a member for a period of six months automatically ceases to be a member of the Council unless they have been given a leave of absence by the Council before the expiry of that six month period...

...  

The report further noted that the last meeting of a Committee of the Council attended by Councillor McKinnell, of which she is a member, was Planning Board on 16 October 2019. Councillor McKinnell had now requested a short sabbatical for personal reasons in order to exempt her from attending any meetings of the Council and any Committees and Sub-Committees of which she is a member. The six month period of non-attendance would expire on 15 April 2020 and Councillor McKinnell will cease to be a member of the Council unless she has been given a leave of absence by the Council before that date. 

Council voted unanimously to approve the request."