Somerset Green Party Thinks You Don't Need to Pay Council Tax - IF You're A Councillor, That Is!

 

Green Councillors Think They Should Not Pay Council Tax!

UPDATED (13/6/21): We've asked Green Councillor Francis Hayden to provide the details of his council tax arrears. He's refused again. More details on this new article at the link here.

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Do you think it is right if councillors don't pay their council tax? Residents have told us that they do not think it is right. In fact, no residents have told us that they think it is OK for councillors to not pay up. Yet two of Somerset's Green councillors think that it is OK!

Green Surge or Green Slime?

In the 2019 local elections, some Green councillors were elected to Somerset's councils. 

Were any elected in 2021? No. 

The Conservatives cancelled the 2021 County Council elections. And the Greens have not won any of the recent by-elections in Somerset. They have not even come close. 

Yet Somerset Green councillors are hailing a "Green Surge" in local elections elsewhere, including in Bristol which neighbours Somerset.

Somerset Independents have been watching the Somerset Green Party closely, and especially the Green councillors.

In our opinion, and we have presented some of the evidence on our website already, these Green councillors are either naive, incompetent, or downright dangerous.

We suggest that far from being a Green Surge, that it is more like a Green Slime.

Here is one example. Green councillors in Somerset voted to increase YOUR council tax, but not all of them paid THEIR council tax. And Green councillors think it is OK for councillors not to pay.

We have the evidence, from investigations that we have conducted.

Mendip Green Councillor Francis Hayden did not pay his council tax. As we have previously reported, he did not pay not just for one month, but for nearly a year. 

When we asked Cllr Hayden to apologise, he did not apologise. When we asked Cllr Hayden to resign, he did not resign. When we asked Cllr Hayden when he would pay up, he refused to say.

Our investigation into Somerset councillors and their council tax also revealed that another Mendip Councillor had not paid their council tax. But Mendip District Council refused to give us the councillor's name.

So this brings all 46 other Mendip councillors into disrepute, and Mendip Council too.  Nearly all Mendip residents now cannot be sure that their councillor paid their council tax. 

In the case of the residents of Cranmore, Doulting and Nunney, represented by Cllr Hayden, how many of them know he didn't pay? Has he told them? We doubt it.

Residents Think Councillors Should Pay Council Tax

Do you think it is right if councillors don't pay their council tax? Residents have told us that they do not think it is right. In fact, no residents have told us that they think it is OK for councillors to not pay up.

Somerset Independents listens to residents. 

Therefore we strongly believe that the vast majority of Somerset residents believe that councillors should pay their council tax, just like the rest of Somerset residents are expected to.

We believe that is even more important that an elected representative pays their council tax, because they should set the example.

The Green Party brags about their councillors who "leave their mark" on council budgets. Council budgets are set by councillors who vote on the budget.

But if a councillor doesn't pay their council tax, the councillor is BANNED by law from voting on council tax and related matters. If they do not declare that they are in arrears on their council tax, and vote on such matters, it is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE.

Yet unbelievably, when Somerset Independents wrote to the 46 other councillors to ask them to identify themselves as the councillor who did not pay, none of them admitted to it.

And even more unbelievably, another Green Councillor, Frome councillor Michael Dunk, defended his Green colleague Councillor Hayden. Not once, but twice.

Do Other Councillors Support Councillor Hayden?

When we asked Mendip District Council to show us all correspondence from councillors relating to councillors' council tax, there were no other councillors who had written to Councillor Hayden to support his stance. Not one.

This included all of the other Green Mendip councillors. None of them support Councillor Hayden's, apart from Cllr Dunk. 

The Green Group Leader Councillor Shane Collins did not reply and we wrote to him more than once. 

Yet Councillor Hayden claimed to us that councillors supported him. There is no evidence of this in council emails, other than from Cllr Dunk, Hayden's Green councillor colleague.

So that is two Mendip councillors who think it is OK for councillors to not pay council tax. ZERO residents agree with them.

 

What About Other Somerset Green Candidates or Councillors?

The Green Candidate for Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Cleo Lake, answered some questions from us.

Somerset Independents asked all PCC candidates about Councillor Hayden's non-payment of council tax.

Her answer on her Green Party colleague's arrears on council tax was not as strong as it could have been.

As reported on this website, Ms Lake told us:

"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."

So Ms Lake thought that Cllr Hayden should "act quickly". Being in arrears for nearly a year is NOT acting quickly. 

And Ms Lake thought that Cllr Hayden should "apologise". He has not apologised.

Ms Lake's response was in contrast to the other candidates, who said the following.

So by the Green Party's own PCC candidate, Cllr Hayden has not done what Ms Lake wanted.

We have contacted the Chair of the Association of Green Councillors, to ask for a comment on the situation regarding Cllr Hayden and Cllr Dunk. We await an answer.

What Did The Other PCC Candidates Say About Cllr Hayden?

Given that the Wiltshire Conservative PCC Jonathon Seed was barred from taking office due to a drink driving offence that came up after the election had taken place, Conservative (and now serving PCC) Mark Selford's response was interesting:

"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."

Kerry Barker, Labour's candidate, told us:

"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."

Mr Barker's is the strongest response from any of the candidates. He is unequivocal. They should go if they have not paid council tax. Cllr Hayden refused to resign.

The Liberal Democrat candidate, Mendip Councillor Heather Shearer, did not respond at all to any of our questions.

The Independent candidate, John Smith, told us:

"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."

So after asking residents and asking all PCC candidates, we still have ZERO residents and ZERO candidates for Police and Crime Commissioner, who think it is OK for councillors to not pay their council tax.

And it is just Green Councillors who think it is OK for councillor not to pay their council tax.

We have no evidence of any other councillors who think it is OK. But when they don't reply, and their Council tries to cover up the identity of the councillor in arrears, all Mendip residents constituents are left to wonder whether their own councillor has not paid. 

It could be another Green councillor who has not been named. But it might not be. We still don't know, and we have challenged MDC on this.

Because of this, around 100,000 people don't know whether their councillor paid their council tax, and 100,000 people who are expected to make sure that they have paid their household's council tax. But their council tax has been increased by councillors.

The Green Party Needs To Act. Mendip District Council Needs To Act.

Until Somerset Green Party or the national Green Party takes action against these councillors, residents will think that Green councillors are more of a green slime than a green surge. It is their councillors who are bringing the Green Party into disrepute. 

These councillors are also breaching the Council Code of Conduct, breaching the Nolan Principles of Public Life and it appears that they may have also broken the law by voting on matters related to council tax. Mendip District Council needs to act.

Mendip District Council has previously told us that the Nolan Principles do not apply to their councillors. They are wrong. They apply to all in public service. Mendip needs to properly investigate complaints about councillors, not dismiss them like they have done previously.

Somerset Independents will continue our investigations to stand up for Somerset residents and hold elected representatives to account.