UPDATE (12/8/21): South Somerset Still REFUSING To Name Councillors Who Haven't Paid Their Council Tax

 

UPDATE (12/8/21): South Somerset District have STILL not published the names of the councillors who did not pay their council tax - even the ones who didn't pay for months and months.

More to come from us on this...

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UPDATE (30/7/21): After we challenged South Somerset District Council at the Information Commissioner's Office, councillors at the Council who did not pay their council tax have been told that their names will be revealed in the very near future, unless there are any special reasons.

Somerset Independents challenged South Somerset District Council and we took the case to the Information Commissioner's Office.

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UPDATE (26/6/21): Somerset Independents asked what did South Somerset councillors have to hide? Quite a lot it seems. After going to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), we finally have a response on councillors who haven't paid their council tax. 

South Somerset has revealed that there are councillors in arrears on their council tax going back YEARS, not just one or two months.

BUT South Somerset are trying to cover up for their councillors.

THEY'VE NOT GIVEN US THE NAMES OF THE COUNCILLORS! 

This is unlike Somerset West and Taunton Council, who named them all. And against the decisions like the Bolton Council case and others.

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UPDATE (21/6/21): We have now gone to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) with a formal complaint about South Somerset District Council's failure to answer our questions about South Somerset councillors who failed to pay their council tax.

UPDATE (15/6/21): After threatening South Somerset District Council (SSDC) with us going to the Information Commissioners Office over the failure to answer our questions, we suddenly now have a response and an apology. The details have still not arrived though*. 

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Somerset Independents listened to residents who were unhappy about the increases to council tax. And we acted. 

We asked district and county councils to not increase your council tax. We did not think it was justified during a Global Pandemic, so we spoke at their meetings and challenged councillors who voted to increase your council tax. Councillors increased your council tax.

Then we discovered that councillors had not paid their own council tax. Despite this, they were still voting on financial and other matters as public officials.

Residents told us that councillors not paying was "disgusting" and they should "resign" or "be expelled". These are quite reasonable views.

So for months now, Somerset Independents has been investigating Somerset's around 250 district and county councillors, to see whether they paid their council tax.

We submitted Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to all five councils.

They have all responded. In different ways and with varying levels of details, as documented on this website, but they have all responded.

All apart from South Somerset District Council.

Despite chasing more than once, and having more than the legal maximum time to give us answers to the FoI request about councillors who did not pay their council tax, they have not given us the information.

We have given them one last chance.

We expect answers now.

Standing Up For Residents

*In our experience, such delays over Freedom of Information are unusual for SSDC as they do usually respond, except it seems to "The Leveller". The Editor of "The Leveller" Andrew Lee has told us that:

"Yr assumption cld not be more wrong. SSDC have a long and sorry track record of not answering FOI requests in time. These include FoIs from other journalists, Private Eye residents and other members of the public. The common link? All involve Q’s SSDC would rather not answer".

and 

"It is of course good to hear that you have been well served. Of course you shld be treated properly but when residents and resident businesses have not been, it is beholden on us to point it out. We always ask nicely, but don’t have patience if fobbed off or worse"

 

To which we say: "Agreed. There should be consistency." in reporting and in councils, that is.