Council Tax Arrears Of The Year: Lib Dem Councillor for Crewkerne Ben Hodgson

Lib Dem Councillor Ben Hodgson

For much of 2021, Somerset Independents was investigating Somerset councillors who persistently failed to pay council tax.

Councillors at South Somerset District Council were the worst at paying council tax.

But of course they increased the council tax in 2021 during a Pandemic, despite some councillors not paying it themselves.

One of these councillors is Councillor Ben Hodgson, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Crewkerne.

The spreadsheet response from South Somerset District Council to Somerset Independents' investigation stated that Councillor Hodgson's record on failing to pay council tax was as follows in 2020 and 2021:

"Oct-20 - £423.46 in arrears - no payments this financial year
08/12/2020 - Now £593.46 in arrears, still no payments
22/01/2021 - £678.46 in arrears - no payments this financial year.  Applications for disregards being processed
29/04/2021 - £834.22 in arrears, £678.46 relates to last financial year.  Application for disregard in progress but SMI application* will be turned down"

Somerset Independents has offered Councillor Hodgson THREE opportunities of a right of reply. He has not answered.

Residents of Crewkerne are angry about Councillor Hodgson, after they had read our articles and the report on our work in local newspaper "The Leveller".

A representative of a group of residents got in touch with Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope, who led the investigation into councillors.

Andrew Pope, Leader of Somerset Independents

She wrote:

"Thank you for your diligence in pursuing SSDC in regards to unpaid council tax.  

Two of my local councillors have been implicated in your 
investigations,  Cllr Ben Hodgson and Cllr Robin Pailthorpe.  

At a time when local precepts are being set I and others within my community are 
concerned that behind closed doors councillors could still have the 
opportunity to add their vote to the precept.

Have Somerset Independents advanced any further with their investigations in this matter?.  I am trying to uncover if summons have been sent and payment of arrears has been settled by our councillors.  

Thank You"

Andrew told her that Councillor Hodgson has failed to respond to our enquiries on three separate occasions. Hodgson has failed to answer our questions, which were as follows:

"1. Would you like to give the public an explanation as to why you did not pay your council tax for two months or more?

2. How much did you owe South Somerset District Council at the time of the February 2021 Budget Full Council meeting?

3. How much do you owe now, and for how long have you not been paying council tax?

4. When will you be paying up, in full?

5. Have you voted on council tax and related matters when in arrears, in this year or previous years?

6. Would you like to let everyone know whether you will be paying your council tax in the future?

7. Or will you be resigning your seat, which would seem reasonable? We ask you to consider resigning your seat.

8. What role, if any, did you or any other councillor or officer of SSDC play in keeping your identity secret for several months, before SSDC named you as a non-payer? Please provide full details of any interventions, despite Jill Byron ruling that your identity be revealed."

The group of residents are considering their next actions. They told Andrew that the three councillors, who are supposed to represent Crewkerne, are not representing them.

Andrew says:

"I'm delighted that the work of Somerset Independents has led to this group of residents being angry.

They should be angry, because the Liberal Democrat councillors for Crewkerne:

• Councillor Mike Best
• Councillor Robin Pailthorpe and 
• Councillor Ben Hodgson
  

are NOT representing them on the issues that matter.

Worse than this, two of them - Pailthorpe and Hodgson, have been persistently failing to pay their council tax.

Meanwhile, other Liberal Democrats voted in 2021 to INCREASE Somerset residents' council tax!

And as we've documented on our website, officers at South Somerset District Council tried to prevent us from finding out the councillors' names. We had to go to the Information Commissioner's Office to take action and the ICO is still investigating.

Somerset Independents has now involved the Leader of the Council - another Lib Dem Val Keitch.

And Cllr Keitch is now implicated in the mess regarding the dismissal and cover-up of senior officer and CEO-never-to-be Clare Pestell. 

Will Councillor Keitch be removed as Leader - do you think that she should be, if the Lib Dems have a shred of integrity? I think she has to go.

Let's not forget that the previous Leader of South Somerset was also a Liberal Democrat. He was Ric Pallister, who has been jailed for multiple sex offences.

What else will be revealed about the Liberal Democrats in Somerset?

Somerset Independents will continue to work with residents to find out."

Standing Up For Residents

*According to the gov.uk website, a discount can be allowed for SMI, if SMI means "Severe Mental Impairment". This does not explain the arrears and SSDC refused the belated attempt to get a discount.