UPDATE (20/7/22): Lib Dems in West Somerset TWICE Promised A Committee System Instead Of The Failed "Strong Leader" - So Where Is It?

 

The Lib Dems Stood...
...But Didn't Deliver!

One of our Official emblems

UPDATE (20/7/22)

We offered the right of reply to Liberal Democrat councillors. Only one replied, Councillor Lee Baker, but despite being a SWT Councillor that made the pledge, he did not provide any evidence that he or the Liberal Democrats have tried to meet the pledge of a committee system. Yet another Fib Dem.

 

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The First Lib Dem Promise To Bring In A Committee System

Before the Somerset West and Taunton (SWT) Council was formed in a forced merger by the Tories of West Somerset District and Taunton Deane Borough councils, we understand from residents that the Liberal Democrats pledged to change the way the Council would be run.

The Lib Dems promised to change the new Council to be a "Committee System", and for the "Strong Leader and Cabinet" model, which models the Westminster system, to be replaced.

SWT Council came into being on 1st April 2019 (no jokes please). Having run the Council under the "Strong Leader and Cabinet" model and despite the Lib Dems having a majority of councillors, the Liberal Democrats delayed two years until April 2021.

The Second Lib Dem Promise To Bring In A Committee System

As reported by Somerset Independents, the Full Council of SWT Council agreed on 29th April 2021 that they should have a committee system. It is there in the Minutes. 

Also as reported by us, Denise Wyatt from Somerset Independents asked SWT Council "to ensure that a Modern Committee System was on the ballot paper in the upcoming Referendum on how Somerset was governed, as well as a 'No Change' option." The Lib Dems on SWT Council refused to do that too, sticking with their "two buckets of manure" vote to have two or one unitary. 

The Yes/No Referendum that happened in 2007 - 82% of residents voted against having a unitary - was not going to be repeated. That was a real missed opportunity for democracy in Somerset.

The Lib Dems went with the Sedgemoor Tories and instead supported a two or one unitary Referendum. And the corrupt Tory Government duly ignored the result.

So Where Is The Committee System That The Lib Dems Promised?

At the time of writing, despite pledging to do so before the elections, and resolving to do so again in 2021, the Lib Dems have still not brought in a committee system. It is still the Strong Leader and Cabinet that was used in the precedessor councils.

As shown in our report, and in the Minutes, the SWT Full Council in April 2021 also resolved to ask the New Somerset Council to be a committee system. 

Somerset Independents wanted to see evidence of action. 

So we asked, via a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, to see the evidence of letters and any other correspondence between SWT Council and the New Somerset Council - be that from the Leader, Lib Dem Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts or any other Cabinet member from the Lib Dems.

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts
Leader of SWT Council

 

In their response, Somerset West and Taunton Council did not provide any such evidence that it had advocated for a committee system, although our requests were very clear.

Therefore it is clear that the Lib Dems have failed to bring in a committee system in the SWT Council that they have controlled from 2019 to 2022 and will do so until it is scrapped in 2023 and then replaced by the New Somerset Council. 

The Lib Dems promised to bring in the committee system, twice. But did not.

Somerset Independents also tried to obtain evidence from the now Lib Dem-controlled Somerset County Council that they were going to bring in a committee system. Why did we think they would?

Councillor Bill Revans and the
Lib Dem Cabinet of the County Council
including Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts

Because in the FoI response, SWT Council told us:

"The proposed option for committee system has been taken to the Local Government Reorganisation officers, who will be taking a report to the New Council meeting in May this year I believe, asking the new councillors to decide whether they carry on with a Strong Leader Model or opt for a Committee System."

At the 2022 Annual General Meeting of Somerset County Council when the Lib Dems took control of the County Council, there was no evidence that we could see that they intended to bring in a committee system. In fact, the report that was brought by officers to the AGM was dismissive of the committee system. There was no consideration of it, just a continuation of the Strong Leader and Cabinet - the same as the Tories before them.

If you look carefully, Councillor Smith-Roberts who is still Leader of SWT Council, is in the Cabinet of the County Council. Why didn't she bring up the Committee System. You know why now, don't you? Because she had no intention of doing so - there is no evidence that she did, and we asked SWT Council for it.

Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope says:

Andrew Pope, Leader of Somerset Independents

 

"To show good intent of the new Lib Dem Administration, the new Leader of the Council Lib Dem Councillor Bill Revans could have insisted to officers that they switch to a committee system immediately, and ordered a report to that effect. The new Lib Dem majority could have forced it through. Cllr Smith-Roberts could have proposed it. But they did not.

So what is the only conclusion that can be drawn from all of these failures by the Lib Dems to meet their promises?

The Lib Dems lied to residents. That's why we call them Fib Dems. 

They broke their promises, not once but twice.

And it's another case of repeating what the Tories did before them. They did that on the western Somerset councils too.

That's why we say Lib Dem or Tory, same old story. 

The Lib Dems stood... but didn't deliver."

The Lib Dems stood...
... but didn't deliver

 

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