UPDATE (14/7/22): Barred Tory Wiltshire PCC Jonathon Seed Found Not Guilty - Our Campaign for DBS Checks For ALL Candidates

 

Lib Dem or Tory, Same Old Story

UPDATE (14/7/22)

The BBC is reporting that Jonathon Seed has been found not guilty of making a false declaration.

Journalist Rupert Evelyn, who did the original investigation and broke the story nationwide and across the West Country, has said on Twitter:

Jonathon Seed is absolutely right when he says the @Conservatives knew we were asking questions. They were explicitly asked, as was he, prior to polling day. The questions were put at Director level to the party. Here’s the timeline https://t.co/F6SiAB0WG6

— Rupert Evelyn (@rupertevelyn) July 11, 2022

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UPDATE (7/7/22)

The Oxford Mail reporter Tom Seaward has reported that "Judge questions CPS as Jonathon Seed back in court over Wiltshire election".

In the report, Seaward says:

"A JUDGE will summon a senior crown prosecutor to court to explain why they plan to drop election fraud charges against former police and crime commissioner candidate Jonathon Seed.

But Judge Michael Gledhill QC refused to accept Ms Sadler’s explanation as to why the prosecution had dropped and adjourned the case for a week and ordered the attendance of a senior CPS lawyer to ‘tell me in public why this decision has been taken’.

Having already put the case back for five hours to enable the prosecutor to obtain more detailed instructions, the judge adjourned the case until Monday, July 11, for a senior CPS lawyer to appear before him. He allowed the lawyer to attend court via video link, but said he would have preferred him ‘to come along and look me in the eye’. 

...

In a parting shot, the judge warned Ms Sadler: “I don’t want platitudes, I want reasons.”

Following the hearing, Seed said: “Clearly, it has been a difficult day and this is not a result we’d have hoped for today, but the judge is absolutely right to satisfy himself as to why the CPS dropped this case so late in the day or, indeed, why they brought it in the first place.”

We continue to follow the case with interest, and continue our campaign for ALL candidates and all elected representatives to have to face independent criminal records checks.

UPDATE (9/6/22)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has dropped the charges against Jonathon Seed, who was due to face trial next month for making a false statement on his nomination papers when standing for Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

Local Democracy Reporter Ben Paessler reported via the Salisbury Journal website:

A CPS spokesperson said: “We have a duty to keep cases under continuing review and, following a further review, we concluded that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.”

So there will be no trial, which we previously reported below as going ahead in July 2022.

Mr Seed has said that he is "relieved" and that he will be commenting further "once my case has been formally withdrawn at Oxford Crown Court."

Responding to the news, Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope, says:

Andrew Pope

"This case shows exactly why independent checks are necessary. Self-certification is a total nonsense when it comes to criminal records checks.

We will be continuing our campaign for DBS checks to be carried out prior to the Returning Officer declaring any and all candidates as validly nominated.

This would protect the public purse from unnecessary re-runs of elections as happened in this case, protect the public from harm and protect council officers from harm too."

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UPDATE: Jonathon Seed is to face to trial in July 2022, according to the BBC, in relation to his candidacy to be the Conservative PCC for Wiltshire.

Whether it is Lib Dems or Tories, it's the same old story. There are so many other councillors and MPs who have been found guilty of criminal offences, and also standing trial like Mr Seed.

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1, 2, 3 and counting...

1. Now in September 2021 ... the Lib Dems' Former Council Leader of South Somerset District Council Ric Pallister has been found guilty of 18 charges  here in Somerset. As reported by Reach plc on SomersetLive, Pallister faces prison.
   
2. In May 2021 Tory Wiltshire Councillor Jonathon Seed who was convicted of drink driving and barred from becoming Police and Crime Commissioner. As investigated and reported by ITV West Country, Seed faces a police investigation into his candidacy, yet continues as a Wiltshire councillor. Meanwhile, the Tories got another candidate to win in the re-run election that cost the taxpayer over £1 million! We have asked serious questions of Wiltshire Council who have confirmed that they don't DBS-check all councillors. This is despite Seed's disbarment.
   
3. Also in May 2021, and reported by ITV the Lib Dems' Former Devon County Council Leader Brian Greenslade (Devon) was found guilty of sexual and indecent assault.
   

We ask: HOW MANY MORE COUNCILLORS, MPs and PCCs - and candidates - are crooked?

Somerset Independents and its supporters have been campaigning for those seeking elected public office to have mandatory and independent criminal records checks. 

As shown on this website and in our campaign materials, we say that ALL candidates and all sitting councillors, members of Parliament and Police and Crime Commissioner, MUST by law have mandatory independent checks on criminal records by the Disclosures and Barring Service (previously CRB). 

The national political parties could have brought this in by changing the law. But they chose not to. Why? What do they have to hide?

The Lib Dems and Tories have a lot to hide seems, from those above here in Somerset, in Wiltshire and in Devon found guilty of criminal offences - and that's just for this year. 

Pallister, Seed and Greenslade are just some of the elected officials who have been found out. What about those who haven't been brought to justice?

Instead, the law allows councils to do their own checks - or NOT to do them.

Research conducted by Somerset Independents has shown that many councils do not do these checks. We asked all four district councils and Somerset County Council. Only the County and Sedgemoor District Council conducted DBS checks for all councillors.

All three district councils that do not do the DBS checks are run by the Liberal Democrats: 

Mendip District Council

South Somerset District Council

Somerset West and Taunton District Council

Yet Ric Pallister and Brian Greenslade were both Liberal Democrats when they committed their offences.

These convictions of elected officials proves that our campaign is justified and that our campaigning is vindicated. 

We know that Somerset residents agree with us.

But do local councillors agree with us?
 

Local councillors in Somerset did very little to back our campaign, despite us contacting all 250+ district and county councillors. Some said they do back our campaign, but took little or no action to support the campaign.

Most of Somerset's councillors are from the national political parties. 

Some of Somerset's councillors even suggested that carrying out such checks should be done by the political parties, and not an independent body like the DBS - well.. they would say that wouldn't they! Seed and the Tories apparently carried out checks - yet this is now subject to a police investigation after Seed was disbarred from becoming PCC.

Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope says:

Andrew Pope

"Residents must be able to trust their elected representatives, but people like Pallister, Seed and Greenslade further undermine trust in politicians and the national political parties.

So we at Somerset Independents ask again - how many more councillors, MPs and PCCs, and candidates for those offices, are crooked?

We say that it has to be made the law that these checks are done by election returning officers, by all councils and by Parliament.

Professor of Local Government at De Montfort University and the University of Ghent, Colin Copus, is backing our campaign. 

We are in touch with the Association of Democratic Service Officers (ADSO) and the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA). 

We hope that they will back our campaign too. It is council officers that are put at risk, as well as the residents who become victims of criminals like Pallister, Seed and Greenslade.

Join our campaigns, become a registered supporter and help to get Somerset better represented for its residents and to protect residents and council officers."

Is Mendip Council Corrupt? District Councillor and Land Owner Philip Ham Lobbied Councillors On Large Development Involving His Land

 

On 24th July 2020, the Mendip District Council Planning Board approved a planning application titled "Land North and South of Sandys Hill Lane" in Frome.

 

It was approved as a mixed use development incorporating up to 235 dwellings, employment floorspace and retail.

 

Somerset Independent listened to residents, and their objections, and has campaigned against this development.

 

Residents did not want the development, but the MDC Planning Board of councillors approved it anyway.

 

Land involved in it was owned by Philip Ham, who is a Conservative Councillor on Mendip District Council and Somerset County Council.

 

We documented the failure by Councillor Ham, other councillors and officers of Mendip, to manage the conflicts of interest by Ham.

 

Our work attracted a lot of interest from residents of Frome, as well as investigative paper Private Eye. Our articles are elsewhere on this website. The Private Eye article is here. Private Eye noted:

"While backing his own Frome plan, Ham was busy opposing - and winning the fight against - a proposal for 63 houses outside the village of Coleford. Why the sudden aversion to development?"

Now we present the evidence of how things are done at Mendip District Council.

 

Somerset Independents has submitted Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to Mendip District Council and Somerset County Council.

The responses show in black and white that Councillor Ham used and abused his position as a councillor to lobby other councillors, and that councillors assisted him in defending the application, and tempering any objections or concerns about the application.

There is no doubt that Councillor Ham was acting in his capacity as a Councillor. Because Councillor Ham used his councillor email to perform these dodgy acts. Other councillors even corresponded with him using their councillor email address, so their correspondence was "caught" by our FoI requests. 

The councillors included:

1. The Chair of the Planning Board and Frome ward councillor for land relating to and adjacent to the development, Liberal Democrat Councillor Damon Hooton who also works at the Sainsbury's nearby. Hooton appeared to collude with Ham to defend works on Ham's land when queried by an unnamed member of the public. Hooton later wrote, on a later application, and we quote directly:
   

   "Due to who I work for (Sainsburys) who are immediate neighbours tothis site, Im conflicted out of commenting on this application. My Ward Cllr, Richard Pinnock is nottherefore will comment separately." We ask why was Hooton "conflicted" at one time, but not at another time?

2. Another ward councillor for land relating to the development, Beckington and Selwood ward Conservative councillor Shannon Brooke. Worse than this, Brooke allowed herself to be lobbied by a representative of Ham's developer (Silverwood). This even occurs at the Selwood Parish Council. The Parish Council objected. Councillor Brooke did not. We asked her why. Cllr Brooke provided no comment on the conflicts of interest. And she confirmed that she did not object. More on this below.
   
3. Another Frome ward councillor, Green councillor Michael Dunk, who gave up writing to Ham by email elsewhere and wrote to Ham at his Mendip council email address, when Ham then replied using his councillor email address. We ask why this is normal at Mendip?
   

Somerset Independents will be presenting further evidence and screenshots from the FoI requests. Here is an example of how Councillor Brooke, Councillor Ham and Ham's "developer" (Ham's words) Silverwood colluded, using transcripts performed by supporters of Somerset Independents from the FoI responses.

Example

On p.11 of the FoI response from Mendip District Council, Councillor Ham writes to Councillor Brooke. Ham wrote:

"Hi Shannon,

My developer (redacted) (Silverwood) is attending Selwood Parish Council tonight, he hopes to arrive early and would like to introduce his self to you. If you are not going  don't worry as I will fix another meeting .for you both."

This shows that not only was Ham conspiring with the Chair of Planning Damon Hooton and other ward councillors, he was also having his developer Silverwood liaise with a ward councillor directly AT THE PARISH COUNCIL meeting! Note that he wrote that if Cllr Brooke would not be there, he would "fix another meeting".

 

The Parish Council objected. Councillor Brooke did not. Further, Councillor Brooke wrote to Councillor Ham on several occasions about the application. 

 

The correspondence between Councillor Brooke, Silverwood and Councillor Ham confirms the collusion when "Keith" at Silverwood tells Ham that "Keith" had spoken with Cllr Brooke at Selwood Parish Council. And then in another email, "Keith" tells Ham that it would be better that Ham spoke to Brooke rather than him.

 

Do you think this looks like corruption?

We do not suggest the word corruption lightly.

 

We define corruption as when an individual uses a position of power, such as being a councillor, to accumulate money. 

 

Transparency International define corruption as:

 

"the abuse of entrusted power for private gain."

 

Do you think that a large development such as Sandys Hill Lane meets these definitions, when you see what happens at Mendip District Council?

 

We will be adding more examples of what happens at Mendip District Council. Why?

Because residents deserve to know about Mendip District Council and what is allowed to happen there.

 

These practises appear to be so endemic at Mendip District Council that it is common to converse using council email addresses over land that is a prejudicial and financial interest for a councillor.

Planning decisions affect residents and in many terrible ways. And when large sums of money and property is involved, that involves councillors abusing their position, we report our work to those residents in the public interest.

 

Somerset Independents On Somerset Businesses: Barber's of Ditcheat and West Country Farmhouse Cheddar

Somerset Hay and Somerset Flag

UPDATE: After we offered a Right of Reply, Michael Masters of Barber's has replied to say:

"All looks fine to me thank you – I was a bit concerned as I read it initially as there appeared to be many ‘claims by Barber’s statements, which are ultimately substantiated.

 

One other aspect if you wish to amend at all, may be our desire to encourage new dairy farmers to the industry – and so bucking the trend. I have attached my most recent Farmer Newsletter for your interest, page two in particular I hope may be of interest with our focus on the next generation."

Somerset Independents is happy to promote the dairy industry. However, our support is not unconditional. We will challenge the dairy industry to do better to enhance the reputation of our County of world-leading practises in produce, farming and animal welfare.

 

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Somerset is famous all over the world for its dairy products, its cows, its milk and its cheese. 

 

Somerset Independents wants Somerset residents to be proud of what Somerset businesses produce, and for Somerset to maintain its reputation as a world leader in cheddar cheese.

 

Cheddar is an actual town in Somerset, after all!

 

Barber's are located in Ditcheat, near to Shepton Mallet, Castle Cary and Bruton. Ditcheat is not very far from Cheddar itself.

 

A.J. and R.G. Barber Limited and related company A.J. & R.G.BARBER (SALES) LIMITED are located at Maryland Farm in Ditcheat. There are other companies related to Barber's, located elsewhere including at West Horrington, Wells.

 

On Barber's website, on their "About" page, they make what may seem to be a very big claim:

"The Barber family have been making cheddar cheese for longer than anyone else worldwide. So, when it comes to combining the finest West Country milk with traditional manufacturing methods to produce award-winning cheese, we'd like to think that we've learnt a thing or two."

There are a huge number of producers of cheddar cheese in the world. To claim that they have been doing it longer than anyone else is a massive statement by Barber's. 

 

Barber's also claim that they are the "oldest surviving cheddar-makers in the world":

"In 1833, our ancestor Daniel Barber began making cheese on his Somerset farm. Nearly two centuries later and we’re still here, now the oldest surviving cheddar-makers in the world. We’ve made a few changes along the way, but we’re still committed to making the finest farmhouse cheddar."

Now websites and marketing can sometimes be stretching the truth. Yet Barber's claims do seem to hold water. 

PDO-accreditation and PGI-accreditation were both European Union (EU) certification systems. EU certifications do not come easily. 

Since the UK left the EU (Brexit), the UK Government has brought in its own certification system, also called PDO.

"To make the best cheese, we need the best West Country milk. Our dairy cows graze the lush pastures of Somerset and Dorset to produce rich, creamy milk that we transform into PDO-accredited cheddar. We also work with many of our neighbouring farmers who supply us with additional milk and we’re proud to support our local farming community in this way.

We’re also the sole guardians of the country’s last remaining traditional cheese starter cultures — the ‘friendly’ bacteria that start the cheesemaking process and contribute to the final texture, aroma and taste. Only by using these cultures can we be sure that we’re making true West Country cheddar."

Under the certification, there is a:

 
PRODUCT SPECIFICATION “West Country Farmhouse Cheddar”

for the cheese. This is very involved and to be called PDO-certified "West Country Farmhouse Cheddar", a producer has to meet this specification.

In the specification, it states (emphasis added):

"Since its registration in 1955 usage of the MMB Certification Trade Mark –
“Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese” – has been restricted to makers who meet certain key
requirements, namely that:
- The cheese is made on the farm
- Milk, all or part of which, must come from the maker’s own cows
- The cheese is produced using in vat methods (rather than moving belt or cheddarmasters)
- The cheese is made by hand
- The cheese is subject to independent grading at between 2 to 4 months – only cheese which has unique characteristics of Farmhouse Cheddar may use the mark
- Cheese sold as Farmhouse Cheddar bearing the logo must be kept for at least 9 months
The independent inspection of the cheese and the routine checking of the farmhouse cheesemaker’s premises have been a regular feature of the verification process for true farmhouse cheddar."

Also on Barber's website, they confirm the certification:

 

"It’s this milk, produced in Somerset and Dorset, which means we can make PDO-accredited cheddar. The PDO certifies that our cheese was made using local milk, traditional techniques and was aged to perfection for at least nine months."

 

Somerset Independents is proud that Barber's is a Somerset company and that it is producing the pre-eminent certified West Country Farmhouse Cheddar.

We are committed to protecting Somerset's reputation as the best producer of Cheddar in the world and anybody who has tasted Barber's cheese will know just how good Barber's cheese is.

But that's not the end of it with Barber's. They also have produced a statement of Corporate Governance.

And unlike some companies, Barber's seem to practise what they preach.

Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope can attest to this:

 

Andrew Pope

 

"I contacted Barber's about their large milk trucks on the country lanes around the area. As they say in their PDO-certification, the milk has to be local.

Residents had complained to me that sometimes, some of their driving was not as safe as it could be, especially given how narrow the roads are in some parts.

So I contacted Barber's and raised it with them, mentioning that I was a big fan of their cheese and a local resident too.

They got back to me very quickly. And they listened and took action.

This is what all Somerset businesses should be doing - listening to local residents and acting on their concerns. I now have regular dialogue with Barber's.

Their statement of Corporate Governance is there for everyone to see. And they practise it. So not only do they make superb cheddar, they also try to live the values that they proclaim. This can seem rare these days, as companies often fail to do so.

Barber's cheese is superb and so very tasty. It's a pity that I am a little bit allergic to cheese, but I still eat it from time to time as Barber's is the best cheddar cheese that I have ever eaten.

 

Well done to Barber's. They are a company that Somerset can be proud of."