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."