UPDATED (25/3/21): PCC Responds - Does the Police Commissioner think the Nolan Principles Are Optional?

Police Commissioner Sue Mountstevens
on her Office's website

UPDATE (25/3/21): Ms Mountstevens' answers are now on the article here.

We are about to publish more details of what the PCC said, when we asked her those questions late in 2020. Quite a bit has happened since then, including the increases to the Police Budget and the council tax including increases which our Leader Andrew Pope opposed, but which the Police and Crime Panel of party politicians approved. 

We know that John Smith, Ms Mountstevens' endorsed "Independent" candidate to replace her at this May's PCC election, is reading our publications, because he is now following our Twitter account.

So far, Mr Smith has not provided any response on the complaints or the situation facing the PCC and the PCC's office. An office which he headed as Chief Executive. He was appointed under a cloud of controversy, by Ms Mountstevens.

Let us not forget, Ms Mountstevens has repeatedly claimed that she wanted to keep politics out of policing.

That has not happened. Ms Mountstevens has brought politics into policing.

We will be asking ALL declared PCC candidates to respond.

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UPDATE (19/12/20): We have now received a written response from Sue Mountstevens. At first glance, many of the issues that we have raised, have not been properly answered or addressed. This includes the investigation but also many other important and urgent items. Many of the answers are evasive and employ passing the buck.

We will be reviewing the response again, and will provide a further update.

Because of this, we are now seriously considering whether to stand a candidate against Sue Mountstevens' endorsed candidate, John Smith. If he is reading this, perhaps he might like to let us know what he thought of the situation.

Update to follow...

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Somerset Independents was formed because the Westminster parties - Lib Dems, Tories, Labour and Greens - continue to let Somerset down.

Somerset Independents works with residents to promote independent candidates and independent representatives.

Somerset Independents will do this, as long as candidates are properly vetted and uphold certain values and principles.

True Independents Or Not?

Sadly, since our formation in 2020, we have had to challenge so-called independents who are not. Our definition of what is an independent representative and what is not is at this link here. This definition has stood up to challenge well, but if you disagree, please get in touch.

Councillors such as Mendip District Councillor Helen Sprawson-White, whose independence we challenged over several months, told us in writing that she had no intention of joining a political party, including the Lib Dems who she had left. This was despite claiming to be an "independent" councillor, yet endorsing in writing Adam Boyden, the Liberal Democrat Candidate for Somerton and Frome. 

Soon after our challenges to her, Sprawson-White joined the Lib Dems which handed control of the Council to the Lib Dems. Then she was rewarded with remaining as Chair of the Council, a position of power which attracts extra money in her allowance from the Council. Usually a Chair is only for one year. How convenient.

Another councillor that we have challenged is Somerset West and Taunton Councillor Mike Rigby, who was an independent, and then joined the Lib Dems. Soon after, he was elevated to the Cabinet of the Council, a position of power and which also attracts extra money in his allowance from the Council. How convenient.

What are the Nolan Principles?

Recently, our Leader Andrew Pope spoke at the Full Council of Mendip District Council, on the Nolan Principles. These are also known as "The Seven Principles of Public Life" and are now 25 years old. Andrew's speech is on this website and it lists the principles. More information on the Nolan Principles is on the website of the Committee for Standards in Public Life.

As reported on this website, Mendip District Council is being investigated by the External Auditor, Ernst and Young, for breaching "openness and transparency", in relation to its property investment. This investigation was began after members of Somerset Independents provided evidence to Ernst and Young.

All public servants are supposed to be bound by the Nolan Principles. Yet at Mendip District Council, it appears to be optional. And elsewhere too, as noted by Lord Evans, the Chair of the Committee for Standards in Public Life.

So what of so-called "independent" elected representatives? How can you tell whether they are what they claim to be?

One of the Nolan Principles is selflessness.

Being rewarded financially and with power, after joining a political party, is not only the opposite of selflessness, it disobeys other of the seven Nolan Principles.

Where Somerset Independents sees those Principles being breached, we will challenge those who we think are responsible. If they are party politicians, then we will challenge them. If they are so-called independents, we will challenge them too. 

We are consistent and when residents contact us with information or concerns, we will listen and we will act.

So What About the Police and Crime Commissioner?

So we now turn to Sue Mountstevens, the "independent" Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Avon and Somerset.

We have become increasingly concerned at her performance in overseeing the Police.

We have become increasingly concerned at the potential for the reputations of "independents" being tarnished.

And we have seen and heard that a large number of Somerset residents are pretty clear that they are dissatisfied with the performance of the Police.

Ms Mountstevens is supposed to be accountable for this, as an elected representative of the people of Somerset.

Ms Mountstevens was elected twice as an independent candidate for PCC.

But as we have pointed out to her in a letter this week, Ms Mountstevens was NOT a Somerset Independents candidate. Somerset Independents did not even exist when she was elected.

Earlier this week, our Leader Andrew Pope wrote formally to Ms Mountstevens with a long letter, asking a series of questions and challenging her robustly.

We await her answers. We also copied in all members of the Police and Crime Panel, who are there to hold the Police and Crime Commissioner to account.

One of the questions is copied, verbatim, below:

"Parliament postponed the 2020 PCC Elections, leading to you staying on. Residents and members of the Police and Crime Panel have expressed concern regarding the appointment of the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner as reported by the BBC¹. We share the concerns expressed about the Chief Constable appearing to endorse the Deputy, especially as you also endorsed Mr Smith as a candidate for the postponed 2020 PCC elections.

Please could you explain how and why you allowed this chain of events to occur, and whether and why you think that you have upheld the Nolan Principles in doing so, including reference to your Joint Governance Framework Policy document mentioned above?

1 BBC, “Boundaries 'blurred' over Avon and Somerset deputy PCC appointment”, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-52527988, 6^th May 2020

 

Then later during the week, a source close the Police and Crime Panel brought our attention to  the BBC reporting "'Transparency failings' in Avon and Somerset deputy PCC appointment".

Our Leader and Spokesperson for Police and Crime, Andrew Pope, says:

Andrew Pope

"Does the PCC think the Nolan Principles Are Optional? It appears so.

Somerset Independents is extremely concerned at the contents of the BBC report this week, and the findings against Sue Mountstevens.

In the BBC report, it states that: "Avon and Somerset PCC Sue Mountstevens controversially appointed John Smith, who had previously worked in her department, to the post in May."

We were alerted by a Somerset resident to the BBC report, after we had stated publicly, via our Twitter account, that we were asking questions of Ms Mountstevens.

We are also extremely concerned at the report by the Sub-Group of the Police and Crime Panel of three people - one Liberal Democrat councillor, one Conservative councillor, and an Independent Panel member. It mentions serial breaches of transparency. This is not a once-off.

We do not know whether our letter triggered the BBC report. But it does seem to be a remarkable coincidence that it was published this week when the report by the Sub-Group, which was dated September 2020, was quietly published two months ago, in the backwaters of the World Wide Web.

We will await the answers to our letter from Ms Mountstevens. We will give her a chance to respond.

However, on the face of the findings by the Sub-Group, it appears that Ms Mountstevens needs to be reminded of the Nolan Principles.

That is not a position in which a truly independent public servant should be.

Therefore if Ms Mountstevens stands in the postponed PCC elections, or Mr Smith, who she has endorsed as her successor, stands in the postponed 2021 PCC elections instead, we will be forced to consider whether to stand a Somerset Independents candidate against them as a truly independent candidate for PCC.

However, we will await the answers to our questions and see what transpires now at the Police and Crime Panel. We believe that Ms Mountstevens should be given the opportunity to respond in writing to us, before making our decision."

Standing Up For Somerset Residents

 

Mendip District Council Thinks The Nolan Principles Are Optional!

Andrew Pope
Mendip South Candidate
for Somerset County Council

Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope, is also our Candidate for the Mendip South division on Somerset County Council at the 2021 Elections.

Andrew spoke at the 9th November 2020 Mendip District Council Full Council meeting, to remind them of their obligations under the Nolan Principles. All public servants are required to adhere to the Principles, which were originally stated 25 years ago.

Andrew also attacked Mendip District Council for not adhering to the Nolan Principles in relation to its property investment and the proposed development of social housing at Easthill, From. The chief legal officer wrote to Andrew this year to say that the Nolan Principles were not part of the code of conduct. An incorrect and outrageous assertion.

His speech can be heard on the recording on the Mendip District Council website here.

The speech is also transcribed below.

"Good Evening! I am Andrew Pope, Leader of Somerset Independents, Somerset’s newest and only dedicated and registered political party.

I speak tonight on the 7 Principles of Public Life, also known as the Nolan Principles, which councillors and officers in public life, should live, breath and practice. They are:

    selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership

Lord Jonathan Evans, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, recently reflected on the 25th Anniversary of the Nolan Principles, by saying:

“It’s clear that some of these elements are more developed in some areas of public life than others.”

So how “developed” are the Nolan Principles at Mendip District Council, and do you know what the expected standards of behaviour are? I suggest to you that behaviour and culture are not developed, in light of the fact that both the Deputy Monitoring Officer and Monitoring Officer have told me in writing, and I quote in response to a Formal Complaint I submitted on a Mendip District Councillor.

They said: “With regard to the Nolan Principles, they are exactly that and underpin the code of conduct but are not part of the code.”

A bit of a surprise to me that was. That might explain perhaps that the investigation was not conducted properly because of this, and the Councillor escaped the sanctions that should have followed a proper investigation. Let’s be absolutely clear – the Nolan Principles ARE part of all councils’ codes of conduct. They relate to ALL public servants.

Allow me to give you an example of why the Nolan Principles are so important to the people of Somerset – indeed across England, as the law is the same, yet councils like yours think that it isn’t!

In 2013, I was a Councillor in Southampton City Council and the Leader of the Council had to resign because he breached the Nolan Principles after an investigation.

So, if you haven’t understood why I tell you that story and you still ask what has this got to do with you, then you have been misled by Mendip District Council and its poor quality of organisational culture and behaviour. It is a culture and behaviour which, as a result of investigations under the 2014 Regulations by members of Somerset Indepedents, has now resulted in an investigation by the External Auditor Ernst and Young into two of the Nolan Principles – openness and transparency, in relation to the Council’s policy of property investment.

And as we’ve heard this evening, just look at the Easthill development in Frome, the decision happening behind closed doors.

What makes Mendip District Council so special, councillors? What do you have to hide? A lot, it seems.

You need to make sure that those Nolan Principles are at the heart of everything you do.

And that needs to start now.

Thank you very much for listening."

UPDATE (6/2/21): Easthill Frome - Councillor Resignation at "Farcical" Mendip District Council Meeting

 

Lib Dems "Run" Mendip Council

UPDATE (6/2/21): Now includes links to Somerset Independents, SomersetLive and Private Eye articles relating to Mendip District Council and Frome.

Members of Somerset Independents attended last night's Mendip District Council Scrutiny meeting (Monday 16th Nov 2020). The meeting was run virtually (link here to the Microsoft Teams recording). 

The meeting may well go down in history as one of the most chaotic in a Somerset council.

The Scrutiny Board is supposed to hold the Lib Dem-run "Cabinet" or "Executive" to account. But it does not, and it has not. During the meeting, even the Chair and former Chair (Lib Dem Councillor Damon Hooton) admitted that it does not do this - whether Lib Dems or Tories are in control of the Council.

Then the Chair, Councillor Philip Ham, quit, saying it was "ludicrous" and "farcical". It is the same Cllr Ham mentioned by Private Eye in relation to his planning application and land near Sandys Hill Lane, also in Frome.

Easthill, Frome
Isn't this beautiful?
(pictures used with permission of owner)

Residents local to Easthill spoke at the meeting. Somerset Independents is standing with them against this disgraceful development.

Denise Wyatt

Our County Council Candidate for Frome Denise Wyatt spoke to support them in their campaign to stop the Lib Dem-controlled Mendip District Council from building 77 dwellings on this prized haven for flora and fauna. Denise's speech is at this link here.

What Denise said has also been reported by Daniel Mumby via the Somerset County Gazette here. In response to Denise and the local residents who also spoke, the Council Leader, Lib Dem Councillor Ros Wyke, spouted her usual meaningless platitudes such as: "My administration wants to listen and reflect" and "We welcome transparency".

Councillor Wyke's claims go against the evidence. The Council's External Auditor Ernst and Young is conducting an investigation into the evidence that Somerset Independents has provided that Mendip District Council's property investment is lacking openness and transparency!

Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope, who spoke against the development at last week's Full Council meeting, to support local residents (speech at this link here), says now:

Andrew Pope

"Somerset Independents was formed to stand up for Somerset residents, and to stand up for wildlife. Since we learned of Mendip District Council's plans and local residents' outrage and surprise, we have supported the residents in their fight.

Somerset Independents live-tweeted from the meeting, so you can go and read what happened on our Twitter feed here.

The meeting was a shambles. As we live-tweeted, and as reported by BBC Radio Somerset today, the Chair of the Scrutiny Board, Tory Councillor Philip Ham, resigned as Chair. The former Chair Lib Dem Damon Hooton, who is now Chair of the Planning Board, told him to "suck it up"! What a disgrace!

There was very little proper order or control, with Vice-Chair Councillor Chris Inchley forced to chair the meeting when Councillor Ham quit.

Councillors spoke over each other and there was no proper debate because Lib Dem Councillor Sam Phripp and other councillors supported his bad idea that there be no debate at this meeting.

The whole point of the meeting was to listen to residents' concerns. Instead of doing that, the Lib Dem, Tory and Green councillors bickered amongst themselves and the Lib Dem councillors tried to stop debate. That's why we don't like the Westminster parties - the Lib Dems and Greens put themselves ahead of residents in their dodgy backroom deals. The Mendip Tories' form of opposition is also pathetic.

Why don't the Mendip Greens and Tories provide proper opposition?

What was the "informal" arrangement between the Lib Dems and Greens that Green Group Leader Councillor Shane Collins admitted to the BBC's David Garmston live on TV in 2019, just after the Mendip Council elections?

Was it a coincidence that in so many Mendip wards, the Lib Dems and Greens did not stand against each other? NO!

It was another dodgy backroom deal, just like Easthill, but this time, instead of the integrity of the elections, its residents and wildlife who are losing out! I thought the Greens were supposed to fight for wildlife, not have housing built on it! All the while, brownfield sites like Saxonvale remain derelict! We've spoken out on that too!

All the evidence points towards an electoral pact, and hidden deals between the Lib Dems and Greens, but did they tell the public? No. We've asked them to but they have refused. 

Did they tell the local residents that a vote for a Green was a vote for Lib Dem and vice versa? NO!

The public need to know what the Lib Dem-Green deal was! Since then, the Greens have gone easy on the Lib Dems - with all Green councillors even voting for the Lib Dem budget.

They've gone easy on the Lib Dems on Easthill too. Why? They are supposed to be in opposition, not in a cosy cartel!

Councillor Philip Ham summed the Scrutiny meeting up when he said it was "Farcical". He quit because he said that the Scrutiny Board was once again being stopped from doing its job of scrutinising the Council. He was right!

The Somerset Lib Dems don't like being challenged and they have regularly ignored members of the public, including members of Somerset Independents, when they have spoken at their meetings. Green and Tory councillors at those meetings also ignored our representations on behalf of Somerset residents. We even chased them up.

So it's no surprise that the Lib Dems don't want to listen to Easthill residents either.

We will continue to stand up and stand with these residents and with the wildlife. As Denise said when she spoke, this development must be stopped by Mendip District Council.

Denise has confirmed with the Council directly that the land has NOT been sold yet. They must not sell it. It must be saved for Frome."

 

Easthill, Frome