Putting Residents First
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An inquest has been decided against by the Coroner. So we now report that the Coroner has decided that former Conservative Somerton and Frome MP David Warburton, died of natural causes.
Inquests are only held in certain circumstances - when it is deemed reasonable to suspect that somebody did not die of natural causes, or if they were in state detention.
"Friend" of David Warburton Andrew Lee, Editor of The (Somerset) Leveller wrote an obituary when Warburton died. You can read it here.
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We called for the Tory Somerton and Frome MP to go last year - at last and at least, he's done the right thing! We kept the pressure up for months and years. We investigated David Warburton many times and published here on this website.
The Mail on Sunday is reporting that Somerton and Frome's disgraced Conservative MP David Warburton has now quit!
"David Warburton, 57, says he is resigning his seat because he was denied a fair hearing by a parliamentary harassment watchdog investigating allegations that he made unwanted advances to two women.
But in an exclusive interview with this newspaper, he admitted taking cocaine after drinking 'incredibly potent' Japanese whisky with a third woman – who secretly photographed and recorded him after he visited her flat following a late-night vote in the House of Commons."
Somerset Independents puts residents first. For years, we listened to residents who complained to us that they were not being represented in the Somerton and Frome constituency by David Warburton.
Andrew Pope challenged the Conservative Chief Whip, Mark Spencer, who did nothing. We showed the type of company that David Warburton kept, including former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, and it was not pretty.
We showed his register of interests. And we showed that he was a disgraced Conservative - NOT a real Independent MP.
And we were the first to say that Warburton should resign. Others followed our lead, from the other Westminster parties.
The people of Somerset deserve better than the Tory MPs who do not represent them.
Will the new MP be any good? Time will tell.
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| Lib Dem, Labour, Green or Tory - Same Old Story |
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by Andrew D Pope, 1st April 2023
It is no April Fool's joke. The robbery of democracy is deadly serious. And the people of Somerset will suffer, and pay for it with millions if not billions of public money.
Today is the day - yes, it is on 1st April 2023 - that all four of Somerset's district councils die, as does the Somerset County Council.
It sounds dramatic. But how many people in Somerset really care?
How many people will mourn the replacement of the district councils with a "new" Somerset council?
It might be fewer people than you think. Those council officers who will be made redundant, might mourn the loss of the council. Some of them will be relieved to have escaped their jobs. Others will have jobs in the new Council, which should worry Somerset people, given some officers' poor performance in the now defunct councils.
So council officers aside, how about the councillors who were supposed to represent you?
Some of the councillors have been elected to the new Somerset unitary council, including some to the Cabinet. That should worry the people of Somerset, given these councillors' record of failure and profligacy in positions of power and control over public money.
Other councillors have tried to make out that they did a good job of representing you. Maybe around 10% of the councillors did actually represent you well. That is for the people of Somerset to decide.
And other councillors were forced to quit, lost their seats or chose not to stand for election. Some of them felt that they had to go, after being exposed by investigations done by Somerset Independents and our volunteers.
What about the people who matter most - the people of Somerset?
Will they care about the inevitable failures in services that affect people's lives?
How many even know about the council changes?
And will the lessons be learned from the forced mergers of West Somerset and Taunton Deane councils?
Is it too late now?
These are open questions. Time will tell.
What is without doubt is that the poor performance of the district councils, the councillors and officers, will leave a painful legacy for the people of Somerset.
What is beyond doubt - as stated by De Montfort University in their Future of Local Government In Somerset (FoLGIS) report - buried by councillors in the appendices - is that democracy has been robbed. De Montfort did not use these words, but that was the message clear in their expert advice.
De Montfort told councillors that such reorganisations in the UK and the world over, do not deliver for local people.
The University wrote in the FoLGIS report that such moves would mean democracy is more remote from the people of Somerset. And the academics warned that these moves will cost money - public money.
The warnings were there. But councillors and council officers ignored them.
Somerset Independents campaigned loudly for a Yes/No Referendum, but the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Labour and Greens all failed to make it happen.
Local media outlets did not help report on our Referendum campaign, or shine a light on the shocking decisions being made by Councillor David Fothergill and his Conservative cronies in Taunton and Westminster. The lack of vigorous reporting on such matters also shows how democracy is not being served by journalists holding those in power to account.
Instead, Somerset people had a Referendum on which of two buckets of manure they wished to have poured over the heads. Two councils or one council in Somerset. But that was also a lie promulgated by the deposed Leader of the County Council David Fothergill. There are already two other unitary authorities in Somerset - North Somerset Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council.
No Yes/No Referendum was given to the people of Somerset. This was despite the last Referendum on the issue - in 2007 - delivering a resounding 82% NO to a unitary authority.
Democracy has been robbed. It is deadly serious. And it is not an irrelevance of reorganisation. These changes will affect people's lives.
Yet Councillor David Fothergill is claiming it as some sort of victory for him.
Brass-neck award of the year? Possibly.
My first conversation about a unitary Somerset Council was in Sept 2017. Nearly 6 years later that day has arrived! For their help in making the vision a reality I am very grateful to @RishiSunak @SimonClarkeMP @michaelgove @LukeHall @KemiBadenoch and the late James Brokenshire pic.twitter.com/DTAMNINxsw
— David Fothergill (@DJAFothergill) March 31, 2023
This was despite the people of Somerset removing him as Leader of the County Council. And removing many Conservative councillors in the local elections, some of whom had voted to delay elections and lobbied their Tory mates at Westminster to scrap the councils - against the wishes of the people of Somerset.
Let's not forget - Councillor Fothergill did not want to speak to Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby when the results of the elections were coming in and it was becoming clear that his actions and those of the Conservative Party, led to his demise as Leader of the Council and the loss of control of the Council.
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| Councillor David Fothergill Refuses Media |
The Liberal Democrats gained a majority. Perhaps that explains their pathetic capitulation and acceptance of this thievery of democracy and public money from the people of Somerset.
Yet the people of Somerset voted the Lib Dems in. Somerset Independents chose not to stand any candidates, for reasons explained elsewhere on this website.
Already the Liberal Democrats are getting their excuses in, blaming the previous Tory administration for financial mismanagement. The Leader of the County Council Lib Dem Councillor Bill Revans was trying to soften the people of Somerset up for the inevitable let down, and has been warning of budget gaps and cuts. Just as David Fothergill blamed the preceding Lib Dem administration for their own failures, the Lib Dems are doing the same. Lib Dem or Tory, same old story.
Yet it was the Liberal Democrats who controlled three of the four district councils, and who have gone on rampant spending sprees with the money of the people of Somerset for electoral gain. But it will be the people of Somerset who will have to bail them out with public money.
The Tories were in control of the County Council until they lost it to the Lib Dems. And also in control of Sedgemoor District Council, whose Leader apparently did not agree with the forced reorganisation, but it happened anyway.
All those district and county councillors and councils have been lost, to be replaced by a pretence of democracy. A unitary council covering most of the large county of Somerset. The mistakes of Cornwall and Wiltshire have been repeated in Somerset.
Instead of councils closer to the people they are supposed to serve, albeit they did it very badly as we pointed out on many occasions, Somerset people will have inept and powerless parish and town councils and councillors. And something called "Local Community Networks" (LCNs).
Nobody asked for it. There was no Yes/No Referendum.
It has been forced on the people of Somerset. And it is them who will pay.
We tried to warn Somerset's people. But there is only so much that we could do as volunteers and campaigners, relying on self-funding and donations.
Perhaps it will only be when the millions of pounds of public money that will inevitably be wasted, and the failure to improve council services, that the people of Somerset who did not care, might wake up and realise that they have been robbed.
Once again, it is a case of Lib Dems, Labour, Green or Tory, and the same old story.
Westminster does not care about Somerset, or its people.
Is it too late to care? Time will tell.
I thank those people who contacted Somerset Independents for help, and those who helped us in our campaigns.
But this is no April Fool's joke. The robbery of democracy is deadly
serious. And the people of Somerset will suffer, and pay for it with
millions, if not billions of public money.
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Somerset Independents puts residents first. Other media outlets who claim to be impartial and unbiased receive advertising monies, with some including that from political parties and MPs. We are fully funded by donations and rely on the good will of volunteers who live or work in Somerset.
Since being founded, Somerset Independents has put a great deal of work into holding Somerset's elected representatives to account - councillors, MPs and the Police and Crime Commissioners. At the same time, other media outlets in Somerset have been absent from their duty of standing up for the public interest in the ethics and standards of the County's representatives.
The Nolan Principles apply to all elected representatives. Yet some councils, council officers, councillors or Parliamentarians in Somerset seem to think they do not apply to them. Perhaps this is unsurprising, given the unwillingness of some media outlets to hold them to those Principles. The case of David Warburton is one such.
On this website, we have published details of our investigations into David Warburton, the former Tory MP for Somerton and Frome. It started when his constituents complained to us that he did not reply to them.
Warburton has been referred to - misleadingly in our opinion - as an "Independent" MP, but this is only because he had the Conservative Whip withdrawn. The withdrawal of the Tory Whip was a result of investigations into him. It would be more accurate to call him the "Suspended Tory MP for Somerton and Frome".
We took it up with the local Conservative Party associations, who gave us some interesting information, but then suddenly the flow of information stopped.
It is important to note the plural investigations into Warburton. There has been more than one.
For months since April 2022, the cloud of doubt hung over Mr Warburton. This was no thanks to some local media outlets, who were much more reluctant than Somerset Independents to report on the investigations. Some even defended him, including those who receive paid advertising monies from Mr Warburton.
We are grateful to some national media outlets, in the absence of publication by local media.
One Investigation...
After months, the parliamentary investigation finally reported back. As reported by The Guardian, the commissioner for standards Kathryn Stone found that Warburton "broke the MPs' code of conduct twice". But Stone did not find Warburton guilty of "paid advocacy". No formal sanctions would apply to Warburton, the commissioner ruled.
More Investigations...
But this was not the only investigation. Again, as reported by The Guardian and Somerset Independents, Warburton had also had the Conservative Whip withdrawn "over separate claims of sexual harassment and drug use", which Warburton denies.
As far as Somerset Independents is aware, these investigations are still ongoing.
In January 2023, The Times has reported that despite being investigated in a sex and drugs scandal, Warburton will be seeking re-election.
In our view, he should already have resigned and there should have been a by-election in the Somerton and Frome constituency.
Why Do Some Local Media Seem Keen to Forget?
Yet some local media outlets seemed keen to forget. Others are totally ignorant of the allegations of Warburton, preferring not to report them at all. And some have sought to defend Warburton.
Why might this be? We will let you draw your own conclusions about the independence of those media outlets and whether they are standing up for Somerset and its residents.
Somerset Independents has always stood up for residents, ever since being founded almost three years ago.
Who Are Somerset Independents?
Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page is here.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
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Somerset Independents stands up for Somerset residents and businesses. They are both being affected by the Royal Mail disruption and strikes.
So our investigator Andrew Pope has been asking questions, investigating what is happening and applying pressure to get a resolution in the dispute.
Andrew is a former postman and campaigned against the privatisation of the Royal Mail by the Labour Government and then the Conservative Government. He organised rallies and marches across the country and this contributed to Labour u-turning on its plans. But then the Tories won power in 2010 and in 2013 fully privatised it. This has ultimately led to the current dispute.
So we asked the union for Royal Mail workers, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) for a statement. This has not been replied to.
Andrew runs a small business. As a member, he has obtained a statement from the "union" for small business, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Tina McKenzie, Policy and Advocacy Chair, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said:
“We urge both sides to do their best to find a landing zone for compromise, in order to allow for a reliable postal service that small firms across the country rely on to serve their customers.
“It’s no secret that small businesses are facing difficult trading conditions, with consumer confidence near a current record low, and with many facing higher energy bills even once Government support has been factored in, as well as elevated costs in other areas.
“Disruption to postal services being added to the mix is not something that will be welcomed by small firms, especially during the festive period, when both receiving and sending out goods and products is crucial to margins.
“Small businesses would be well advised to plan ahead, to see if alternative methods of sending and receiving can be found. Customer communication will also be key – letting customers know as far in advance as possible when they should order by to avoid disappointment.”
BBC Radio Somerset have interviewed Andrew and will be broadcasting the interview.
Who Are Somerset Independents?
Somerset Independents is a campaigning group and a place of investigative journalism.
Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page is here.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
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"This notion of
‘impartial’ journalism is a Western construct. There is no such
thing as impartial reporting."
Somerset Independents puts Somerset residents first. However, we sometimes venture "over the border" into Bristol because Somerset and Bristol influence each other. And sometimes these two parts of the South West compete for public resources, such as with Avon and Somerset Police.
In another part of our series on local campaigners and journalists, campaigner Andrew Pope interviewed Joanna Booth, a Bristol-based freelance journalist, book editor and researcher.
Andrew asked her:
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Joanna replied:
"I don’t think there is a dividing line. Journalists provide certain skills in making information known. This notion of ‘impartial’ journalism is a Western construct. There is no such thing as impartial reporting. Choices are made about what to include or omit all the time. The professionalisation of journalism is a far cry from the profession of journalism where the radical press in England tried to inform people of what actually would make their lives better."
This is different to the view - often promoted by journalists or editors themselves - that journalists should not be campaigners and campaigners should not be journalists. Joanna also says:
"I don’t consider myself to be a campaigner. I am a resident who is active in how they are represented by those I pay through my taxes and other payments...As long as I pay taxes and there are people in power who are supposed to represent me, I intend to do my best to scrutinise them...
I aim to work towards scrutiny, transparency, and accountability."
But there are costs and drawbacks to working in the public interest. Joanna says:
"Whenever you speak in opposition to those in power, you have the added burden of having to explain everything. The dominant narrative is constructed in such a way that it never seems to need explanation."
The problems that Joanna has found are similar to what Somerset Independents has experienced when challenging authority and holding elected representatives to account, such as:
"Any campaigner who goes against that has to prove themselves and armed with information to back up what they say. Always have the receipts. You will constantly be asked for them and you will be doubted. Expect those in power to offer no proof or evidence in return."
And the costs to a journalist who challenges authority can be severe and personal:
"I’ve recently written about being smeared – I get called a racist or a harasser, a conspiracy theorist (mentally ill), a waster of public money and time, and obsessed."
But it seems that despite this, Joanna is not put off. She says:
"As long as I am punching up and with a view of the public interest, I will keep speaking the truth."
Joanna Booth writes at Substack, tweets at @StillAwake and produces a newsletter at Substack. She has written widely on the local issues in Bristol, including on:
Andrew Pope is being trained in journalism by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and tweets at @APoliticalPope. He is a former councillor and co-founded Somerset Independents in 2020, having also co-founded Southampton Independents in 2015.
Who Are Somerset Independents?
Join Somerset's own campaign group to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.
Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page is here.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
The Times, June 2020
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"Truss lied to Conservative Party members to become Prime Minister. Keir Starmer did the same in the Labour Party... Meanwhile, it's ordinary residents that continue to suffer crisis after crisis."
Somerset Independents puts residents first. During the Pandemic, we held Boris Johnson's Government - and his crony Tory councillors at Somerset County Council - to account. We stood up for Somerset residents.
As The Times cartoon from June 2020 suggests, Johnson failed across the board.
Over two years later the BBC has done an analysis of the claims Johnson made about his record during his last speech in Downing Street. It shows that Boris Johnson even lied in that speech.
Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope, says:
Andrew Pope "Boris Johnson is totally disgraced as Prime Minister and as a man. But he is in denial. If he wants to lie about his record as Prime Minster to himself and his latest wife, that's up to him.
What matters more is that he has lied to the British public. Not just once, but on very many occasions. And he has lied on a wide range of topics, some of which are a matter of life and death, including the Pandemic.
Boris Johnson is a proven liar and a fraud. Having stopped the investigation into corrupt Tory MP Owen Paterson, he is now trying to stop the Parliamentary investigation into himself misleading Parliament.
It's disgraceful that there are those in the Conservative Party who wanted Johnson to stay. This includes Somerset Conservative councillors and Conservative Party members in Somerset who still defend him.
That says a lot about the Conservative Party and their lack of principles. I remember a time when the Tories had principles, although I did not agree with their principles, they seemed to have some.
Now the Conservatives just want power for its own sake. And Liz Truss is just the same as Boris Johnson.
Truss lied to Conservative Party members to become Prime Minister. Keir Starmer did the same in the Labour Party.
Labour still want Corbyn, and have Starmer. Conservatives still want Johnson, and have Truss.
Meanwhile, it's ordinary residents that continue to suffer crisis after crisis.
Labour or Tory, same old story!"
Who Are Somerset Independents?
Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.
Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page is here.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
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“Will you be publishing data on councils or other public agencies who are repeated offenders on Freedom of Information requests (FOIs)? If you do already please let me know where it is. For example Bristol Council claims you said they don’t have to meet deadlines and could do a % of” Questions By Somerset Independents Leader Andrew Pope to Regulator ICO
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Somerset Independents puts residents first. We find out the information that the Westminster political parties do not want you to know. We hold the Liberal Democrats, Tories, Labour and Greens to account. And we publish information for the benefit of Somerset residents.
There is a huge variation in how Somerset's councils deal with us.
We give a case study below of our investigations - led by our Leader Andrew Pope - since 2021 into councillors who did not pay their council tax.
Some are more secretive than others. Some councils are more obstructive. Some take more time than others. Some fail to meet their legal obligations. Some answer questions that we did not ask. And some are more helpful than others.
Who Are The ICO?
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) regulates requests for information from public authorities including councils. This is governed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, brought in by the New Labour Government led by Tony Blair.
Because of the persistent failures by some councils, the ICO has pledged to get tough. We asked them some questions about the ICO publishing the details of repeat offenders. They have responded. And their response is very promising.
The ICO told us that they:
"would commit to delivering more systemic enforcement action against public authorities that clearly and consistently fail to meet their FOI obligations"
A Case Study: Councillors Who Did Not Pay Council Tax
Here is an example of the variation in FoI compliance by councils. During our investigations into councillors in council tax arrears, below is a comparison of the responses from Somerset's - and nearby Bath & Bristol - councils. Our FoI requests were very similar to each of the eight councils, in investigations that began in 2021 and some of which are still continuing:
So you can see the variations in responses to FoI requests to eight different councils. To say again, the questions were very similar but the responses and how the councils responded, or whether they responded at all, were vastly different.
It has been reported more than once by BristolLive (a.k.a. the Bristol Post) that Bristol City Council (BCC) is failing on FoI requests. BCC has claimed in public that the ICO has allowed them to only make a percentage of responses (see our question above).
It is clear that the ICO have had enough of persistent offenders like Bristol and South Somerset District Council.
We hope that the ICO will be true to its word and this will lead to better compliance with the law by Somerset's councils.
Who Are Somerset Independents?
Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.
Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page is here.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
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| Liberal Democrats Robbing Public Money |
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UPDATE (22/9/22)
The Weston Mercury has reported the further delay to SEE Monster, on top of the other delays and huge expense to the taxpayer. We revealed the cost, which could go higher.
We gave those figures to the Weston Mercury, as they said they wanted to do a story on our investigation.
Today, we have asked the Mercury's reporter Charlie Williams why they have not quoted our figures, which were evidenced and sourced.
Somerset Independents is holding Somerset's councillors and MPs to account, in the public interest. It seems that we also need to hold the media outlets to account too.
You may be interested to know that the Weston Mercury is making its editor, Paul Jones, redundant. The source for this information is himself, via his own Twitter account.
The Festival of Brexit has also made its way into recent Private Eye lampoons.
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Somerset Independents puts residents first. We investigated and published the cost of Weston-super-Mare's "SEE Monster" arts project. Councillors at North Somerset Council did not want residents to know.
The Chair of the Council's Scrutiny committee - a Liberal Democrat councillor - failed to find out the cost and had complained about the project to the Weston Mercury reporter Charlie Williams who has published his comments:
However, some councillors have become restless with the organiser's 'lack of communication and unwillingness to come clean'.
Senior town and district councillor and chair of North Somerset's scrutiny panel, John Crockford-Hawley, said: "I'm not one of the councillors directly involved in the See Monster project, so I wouldn't wish to speculate about reasons for the obvious delay in bringing remaining platform stages to the Tropicana.
While I have no substantive reason for doubting See Monster's eventual arrival in the latter part of this summer, nor do I doubt its potential benefit to Weston, I do believe the recent minimalist approach to communication by New Substance has somewhat undermined public confidence, and led to a degree of sceptical social media chatter.
I look forward to improved public information and the project's eventual success."
Now Somerset Independents have had it confirmed by "The House" magazine that SEE Monster is funded by the "Festival of Brexit".
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They name SEE Monster as part of a "Carnival of Brexit" in an article sub-titled "How The Government's £120m 'Festival Of Brexit' Went Rogue".
We asked questions to another Liberal Democrat Councillor Mark Canniford, who is a member of the Cabinet on the Council and is a ward colleague of the Chair of Scrutiny. But Cllr Canniford seems unaware of his ward colleague's criticisms, and has been chief promoter of SEE Monster.
This is duplicity that is typical of Liberal Democrats. Even ward colleagues who are in the same ward and in the same party contradict each other in public to suit themselves.
We asked Cllr Crockford-Hawley - how can a Liberal Democrat scrutinise another Liberal Democrat in the Cabinet? He failed to give an answer although he confirmed that he does speak to Cllr Canniford.
Unlike his ward colleague and Lib Dem Party colleague, Councillor Canniford has openly hyped up the project and has been unapologetic about it.
We asked Cllr Canniford some questions. He (kind of) attempted to answer our questions but has admitted that council staff and council time are being used and that it costs council money. Cllr Canniford has claimed that the costs are being paid for by the project. We are making more enquiries.
When challenged by us, Councillor Canniford also stated in public that he "would not apologise" for promoting Weston with SEE Monster.
Now it has been revealed that the millions for SEE Monster have come from a "Festival of Brexit".
So is it OK to take Festival of Brexit money to hype up a delayed and expensive arts project, but to oppose Brexit as a Liberal Democrat, as mentioned in "The House" article?
It seems more than a little hypocritical to us. This is why we use the above and below graphic to describe the Liberal Democrats. They hate it, which is why we know that it works.
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Who Are Somerset Independents?
Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
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"I am pleased that we helped to defeat it and to stand up for local residents, because that is what Somerset Independents was formed to do."
The Butts Batch development in Wrington by Strongvox has been defeated. The planning inspector G.D. Jones has dismissed the appeal after North Somerset Council had rejected the planning application.
Somerset Independents puts residents first. We stood up for residents of Wrington against a poor development. Our Leader Andrew Pope objected to the application and encouraged others to do so.
We worked with campaigners in Wrington and provided advice to the Keep Wrington as Wrington campaign.
We also held the local Independent North Somerset Councillor Steve Hogg to account, when he repeatedly refused to formally object to the application. We urged him to be stronger in his opposition and in fairness, he was.
But what happens next?
Andrew Pope says:
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| Andrew Pope Leader of Somerset Independents |
"This was the wrong development in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am pleased that we helped to defeat it and to stand up for local residents, because that is what Somerset Independents was formed to do.
However, it is just a matter of time before another application comes forward and it will start all over again.
Whether it will be Strongvox or another applicant, we will see.
So while the battle for Butts Batch has been won for now, it will be the site of another battle if the future application is not acceptable to local residents.
Whether us volunteers at Somerset Independents will campaign against it, and who we will work with or not work with, remains to be seen."
Who Are Somerset Independents?
Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
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Following the mess at Saxonvale, Frome getting even messier, we asked Mayday Saxonvale some questions. Here are their answers. Residents can make up their own minds as to whether they answered our questions and what they think of the answers.
Questions from Somerset Independents To Mayday Saxonvale
We asked you Mayday Saxonvale on multiple occasions how it would be tenable for two applications, given that Mendip had approved one scheme before you submitted Mayday. Mayday Saxonvale never provided an answer.
We listened to residents and businesses and objected to the Acorn proposals, with our Leader Andrew Pope speaking at the Planning Board. But the fact remained that Mendip approved it.
There is already legal action as we reported on a long time ago. This was confirmed by legal at the Mendip Asset Management Group (AMG) meeting yesterday.
So is Mayday now going to cost the taxpayer even more money in legal costs?
What will you do when Mendip is scrapped and the New Council comes into force?
Are you just giving people false hope now?
Have you tried to get Mendip and Acorn to stop their scheme? If you did, why weren't you successful?
Mayday Saxonvale's Answers
"Approving the signing of the S106, MDC will contravene planning law on two main counts.
Firstly, now that the Mayday recommendation is a matter of material consideration, Acorn’s application should now go back to the Planning Board meaning no consent should be signed until that is done.
Secondly, the ownership of Saxonvale is passing across to Somerset so in the S106, the enforcer and the enforcee are the same person. There is no provision in the text of the S106 for this. We will update with more information on the legal position in due course.
However, as we stated above for the first time, the council set out its position on the comparison of the two schemes. They confirmed the Acorn scheme will be re-evaluated and MDC are not bound to proceed. They confirmed they have the mechanisms to consider other options, such as Mayday Saxonvale, and proceed with them if they wish.
Mendip Council leaders have made choices and we will be holding them to account."
Who Are Somerset Independents?
Somerset Independents are a residents group that puts residents first. We stand up for residents.
Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
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| Dodgy Council, Dodgy Councillors |
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"Two big developments at the same site? Ridiculous...This mess is going to drag on and on, way past when Mendip
District Council will cease to exist in 2023. It will be a mess
inherited by the New Somerset Council, via the courts. The legal bill will
cost the taxpayer a lot of money." Andrew Pope, Leader of Somerset Independents
Somerset Independents puts residents first. We have stood up for local residents and businesses in the face of Mendip District Council's mess at Saxonvale, Frome.
Our Leader Andrew Pope spoke at the Planning Board against the Acorn proposal that was so reviled. We listened to residents and acted for them.
But as reported by us, the dodgy Planning Board approved the Acorn proposal. Mendip District Council also owns the land. This is a clear conflict of interest, which Mendip claims to have managed.
Sadly, Mendip cannot be believed, because they have not managed conflicts of interest elsewhere, including councillors voting through a planning application on land owned by a fellow councillor - and claiming that they didn't know him!
This was the "Sandys Hill Lane" development on the outskirts of Frome, near the McDonald's and Sainsbury's complex. Land involved in that application is owned by Councillor Philip Ham.
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| Councillor Philip Ham (Photo: Mendip District Council) |
Our investigation was reported in Private Eye and remains one of the most popular articles on this website.
Mendip has dodgy councillors and is a dodgy council. We've proved it time and time again. We tried to get them to reform their ways. Our campaigns have succeeded, including at Easthill, Frome and in reform of the Planning Board. But Mendip had already made a mess at Saxonvale, a brownfield site, dithering and delaying while approving development on the green fields around Frome.
Brownfield land has come last at Saxonvale, but greenfield development in Frome has preceded it, including at Sandys Hill Lane. It's tragic. It's wrong.
So when we heard that an alternative proposal was being proposed for Saxonvale, we were curious about it.
We asked Mayday Saxonvale on more than one occasion how they proposed to manage having two planning applications being approved for the same site. They did not answer. But that situation has now occurred. It happened at the Mendip Planning Board last week.
And to make matters worse, this week, the Asset Management Group approved the signing of the Section 106 Agreement for the Acorn development, further sealing the fate of the Saxonvale site, which remember, Mendip owns.
What Happens Now?
At the AMG, the legal adviser mentioned that there was legal action - a Judicial Review relating to the demolition at the Saxonvale site.
Also at the AMG, the THREAT (not realised yet) was made via Councillor John Clark that if they agreed to sign the S106 there would be a Judicial Review. In reality, it was not clear what Cllr Clark was threatening as he did not seem to understand what he was threatening (such is the way with Green councillors). We believe this Judicial Review is threatened by Mayday Saxonvale.
So if that were to occur, there would be at least two pieces of legal action, putting even more delays in the way of actual development going ahead. Saxonvale remains a derelict site.
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| Andrew Pope |
"How can you have two developments at the same site? Mendip District Council that own the land on behalf of Somerset residents, are playing everyone for fools!This mess is going to drag on and on, way past when Mendip District Council will cease to exist in 2023.It will be a mess inherited by the New Somerset Council - the unitary authority that nobody wanted other than the Tories and the Lib Dems who have benefited from it - via the courts.The legal bill will cost the taxpayer a lot of money and it will be Somerset residents who will pay. It's just wrong and a terrible mess created by the Lib Dems."
Who Are Somerset Independents?
We are a campaign group formed by residents to stand up for residents across the County of Somerset - North, South, East and West.
Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
