Row likely as Independents claim credit for Conservative projects

A POLITICAL row was looming in West Somerset after Independent district councillors elected only in May tried to claim credit for a series of economic development projects – all of which were started under the former Conservative administration.
A number of the now-trumpeted projects were bitterly opposed at the time when Independents and others on the council sought to attract newspaper headlines criticising the Conservative leadership in the months leading up to the elections.
Now, district council public relations officer Stacey Beaumont has issued a press release pointing out that West Somerset had secured more funding from Objective 2 transitional European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) than any other district Westcountry despite being the smallest council.
It followed the start of work on the development of the Barle Enterprise Centre, near Dulverton, and a £203,193 funding award for Minehead’s new Visitor Information and Interpretation Centre (VIIC), bringing the total of European money for West Somerset to more than £6.7 million.
The council’s economic development and tourism portfolio holder, Councillor Michael Downes, claimed: “We have completed, or are in the process of completing, 15 projects thanks to this funding.
“It has benefited a broad range of projects from developing local workspace, ICT provision and food links support through to tourism development via the organisation of events and festivals and the provision of the new VIIC.
“In all cases, the money needed to complete the project has to be at least doubled by the council and its partners so total funding in the district is much higher.
“For example, we have helped access £1.4 million for the New Horizons project but the actual investment by the council and its partners is in the region of £50 million.
“We know that businesses and tourism in the area need our support and we are doing our best to provide sustainable economic and tourism initiatives.
“We are also ensuring that local people’s social, health, and learning needs will be met by assisting with the provision of the new hospital, health complex, and skills and learning centre through New Horizons.”
The present leader of the council, Councillor Keith Ross – considered to have been an architect of many of the previous attacks on the development projects - said: “In the past we have been criticised for not delivering, but as this list shows, our staff have worked hard to deliver a substantial number of high-quality projects to help improve social and economic conditions for people and businesses across West Somerset.
“The workspace in Williton is nearing completion and work on the Dulverton workspace is now under way.
“Our staff are also putting a major amount of work into the provision of affordable housing for local people which is another area in which we are genuinely starting to deliver.
“We intend to build on our successes and prove ourselves as community leaders who deliver meaningful projects which bring social and economic benefits to the whole district.”
The list of projects for which credit was now being claimed included:

• Exmoor & Quantocks Foodlinks (£151,688) – project ongoing
• Exmoor Events & Festivals (£112,500) – project completed
• Rural Learning & Early Years Centre (£636,488) – project completed
• Williton ICT (£51,084) – project completed
• Stage 2 feasibility study into New Horizons (£25,000) – project completed
• Crisis loans for small businesses that suffered as a result of foot and mouth disease (£120,850) – project completed
• South West Wood Fuels (£81,450) – project completed
• Williton Workspace at Roughmoor (£788,672) – project ongoing
• Dulverton Workspace at the Barle Enterprise Centre (£806,711) – project ongoing
• Somerset Broadband (£180,960) – project ongoing
• Technical Assistance for the Broadband project (£84,349) – project ongoing
• Watchet Esplanade Enhancement (£138,380) – project ongoing
• Minehead Visitor Information & Interpretation Centre (£203,193) – application approved
• New Horizons (£1.4m) – application approved

The VIIC on the seafront at Minehead will replace the existing Tourist Information Centre in Friday Street and will be equipped with high-tech interactive touch-screen displays and will provide a centre of excellence for the delivery of tourism information, with the aim of attracting and developing potential and existing customer markets to support the tourism industry of the whole area.
Bridgwater-based H Pollard & Sons has been selected as the preferred developer and contract details are currently being finalised with a view to work starting shortly and being completed by the summer of next year.

• Our photograph taken at the start of work on the Barle Enterprise Centre shows (left to right) Councillor Keith Ross, Councillor Michael Downes, and site manager Jake Carless, of building contractors CS Williams Ltd. Photo submitted.

Minister rejects unitary local government bid for Somerset

A LIBERAL Democrat bid to abolish West Somerset Council and seize control of all local government services throughout Somerset has been thrown out by the Government.
The emphatic rejection of Somerset County Council’s plans for a single unitary authority in the county follows a county-wide referendum which saw 82 per cent of respondents vote against the idea.
The Department for Communities and Local Government had set five criterion which it said any unitary bid would need to meet in order to be successful, one of which was that there should be a broad cross section of support for the proposal.
Another criterion was to be affordable – but an independent assessment of the plan showed it would have cost ratepayers £7 million rather than saving them money as claimed by the Lib Dems.
The unitary bid was opposed in a joint campaign by all five of Somerset’s district councils and all five MPs who represent the county in Parliament.
West Somerset Council leader, Councillor Keith Ross, warmly welcomed the Government decision.
Councillor Ross said: “I am pleased that the voices of local people have been heard, and their wishes respected.
“I appreciate that the Government wants us to improve the current two-tier system and look forward to working with our partners in the district councils and at the county council to achieve this.”
In the recent referendum on unitary status, 200,000 people voted, almost half of the county’s population and more than took part in local government elections in May. Just18 per cent of those who voted were in favour.
West Somerset and the other district councils argued the county authority’s proposals would involve the creation of a mammoth council, a giant new bureaucracy, more red tape, and the abolition of local councils, leading to less democracy and more remote councillors.
Lib Dem county councillors ignored the county-wide referendum and tried to defy the result right up to the end by refusing to withdraw their unitary bid.
The present leader of the county council, Councillor Jill Shortland, who recently took on the role after Councillor Cathy Bakewell stepped down just months after she had launched the bid, said: “The news that our bid to create one council for Somerset is not being taken forward by the DCLG is very disappointing.
“However, the business of providing excellent services to residents will continue with full pace.
“I truly hope that we can re-engage with our district council partners to look for new ways of working closer together through local area working, where many opportunities exist to empower Somerset’s communities.”

Lib Dem unitary power grab is massively rejected by West Somerset voters

RESIDENTS of West Somerset and the rest of the county have overwhelmingly rejected the idea of creating a super-size council to run all local government services.
The massive rejection of the Liberal Democrat-inspired plan comes in a postal ballot of everybody in Somerset who is on the electoral register.
Across the county, almost one-half of the entire population voted, answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question ‘do you support the idea of a unitary authority for Somerset?’.
The result was a four-to-one rejection of the idea with 82 per cent of voters saying ‘no’ and just 18 per cent being in favour.
The ballot was organised and paid for by the five district councils in Somerset, which were united in their opposition to Somerset County Council’s plan to abolish them.
West Somerset Council leader, Councillor Keith Ross, said: “The tremendously high turnout is something of a surprise, but the overall result is not.
“This vindicates our decision to hold the vote in the first place. The people of Somerset have spoken loud and clear.
"The county council ran a biased campaign seeking to spin its own plans and spread disinformation about the district councils’ alternative.
“But Somerset residents saw through this, and as for the county council’s claim that nobody was interested in this issue - well, the results speak for themselves.”
Councillor Ross together with chief executives and leaders of the other Somerset districts, were travelling to London today (Tuesday, June 19) for urgent talks with Local Government Minister Phil Woolas.
Sedgemoor District Council leader, Councillor Duncan McGinty, said: “Our message to him will be very simple.
“We are not against unitary authorities as a matter of principle, but we are against them where the proposers have failed to put together any kind of case for change, and where local residents are so clearly opposed.
“We will be urging the Minister to end any remaining uncertainty or speculation by announcing swiftly that the county council’s plans are off-the-table.
“It is now absolutely impossible for the county council to proceed with its plans. They are as dead as a dodo.
“The Government has made it crystal clear that unitary authorities can only proceed if they have broad public support. The plans for a unitary authority in Somerset could hardly be less popular.”
Almost 200,000 people voted in the postal ballot, with 158.754 against the Lib Dem unitary council scheme and 34,851 in favour of it.
In West Somerset, the turnout was 53.9 per cent (15,068) with 79.7 per cent (11,933) of valid votes being against, and 20.3 per cent (3,048) against. There were 87 invalid ballot papers.

• Our photograph shows some of the leaders and chief executives of the five district councils emphasising the postal ballot result at the announcement held in the Castle Hotel, Taunton, this morning (Tuesday, June 19). West Somerset's chief executive, Tim Howes, is second from right. Photo submitted.
  

Residents urged 'Vote No' to unitary council plans

LOCAL residents are being urged to take part in a postal ballot to tell the Government what they think of plans by Somerset County Council to seize control of all local government services in the county.
Liberal Democrat county councillors want to abolish West Somerset and the other four district councils in Somerset and run everything from County Hall, a move which it has been independently calculated would cost ratepayers £7 million a year.
Now, West Somerset and the other councils fighting the ‘unitary bid’ by the county authority have together commissioned a ballot to give every voter a say in the issue.
But the county’s new leader, Councillor Jill Shortland, has already refused to recognise the result of the ballot, claiming it was a ‘waste of money’ to allow a democratic vote by the public.
The postal ballot is being run by the Electoral Reform Services, and votes, which are free to send by post, should be returned by Friday, June 15.
The leader of West Somerset Council, Cllr Keith Ross, said, "We urge all voters to grab this chance to vote no to Somerset County Council’s proposed new mammoth unitary authority.
“A unitary authority would see West Somerset’s local representation slashed by over 75 per cent from its current total of 35 councillors, made up of 31 district and four county councillors, to eight ‘all-purpose’ councillors.
“This will hit local people hard because they are used to having an adequate number of local councillors to represent their views on local issues.”
Councillor Ross said West Somerset Council was also concerned because it had not received any assurances that local amenities such as parks and open spaces would be maintained, nor whether the county had the same commitment to economic regeneration schemes such as the provision of workspace in Williton, nor leisure and community projects such as ArtLife.
He said: “The county council has criticised the district councils for organising this poll, but we feel that their proposed reorganisation of local government will cost an awful lot more than the £13,500 we have spent on giving our local people the vote.
“It is a small price to pay for democracy. This is the only chance people are going to get. We hope local people make their voices heard by voting ‘no’.”

New look to leadership of West Somerset Council

WATCHET Councillor Jenny Hill has been elected chairman of West Somerset Council, succeeding Councillor Pam Driver, who lost her seat in this month’s elections.
Councillor John Walker, who represents Minehead South, was elected vice-chairman.
Councillor Hill said: “I would like to thank Pam for the work she has done for the council as chairman over the last year.
“I am delighted to be taking on the role and look forward to working with all councillors.
“Over half of the council is newly elected and we are looking forward to training so that we are up to speed with the systems, and ready to move issues forward.”
Dulverton and Brushford Councillor Keith Ross (pictured) was elected as leader of the council, and Councillor Simon Stokes, who represents Alcombe East, was appointed deputy leader.
Councillor Ross said: “I am looking forward to serving the communities of West Somerset, and will take heed of their wishes.
“We will continue with the capital programme although there will be a review of projects and some elements of the corporate plan to ensure that the projects we deliver are of high quality and meet the needs of local people and businesses.
“I am looking forward to working with the other 30 members of the council, and value the contribution that all councillors can make to achieving the best for West Somerset.
“We aim to bring improvements that will benefit the social and economic well-being of local people, and increase business opportunities for prosperity and growth wherever possible.”
Cabinet Portfolio Holders appointed were:

• Housing, Health and Welfare - Peter Humber
• Finance - Doug Ross
• Economic Development and Tourism - Mike Downes
• Leisure, Culture, and Recreation - Neil Parbrook
• Environment - Jon Freeman
• Youth and Community - Eddie May
• Internal Resources - Simon Stokes

Photo submitted.

£5.4 million vocational education centre to open in autumn of 2008

A HUGE increase in learning opportunities is on the way for West Somerset with the final go-ahead being given for a new £5.4 million skills and enterprise centre based in the West Somerset Community College, Minehead.
The final element of funding required to create the new centre has been confirmed, which means the first students can expect to enrol for courses as soon as September of next year.
The skills and enterprise centre will give young people and adults in West Somerset an opportunity to access high quality vocational education and training, leading to qualifications and skills which will help them succeed in the future.
The new facilities will be used to provide training in subjects including automotive engineering, construction, health and beauty, hospitality and catering, health and social care, and land-based skills.
The centre has been funded by the Learning and Skills Council and the European Regional Development Fund.
It is the first part of a New Horizons Project which newly-elected Independent councillors on West Somerset Council were campaigning against during the run-up to this month’s elections.
However, the new leader of West Somerset Council, Councillor Keith Ross, said: “Children and adults will benefit from the learning and training opportunities that the new centre will provide, and local businesses will benefit from being able to recruit qualified local people.
“Better career opportunities lead to higher wages which will improve social and economic standards in West Somerset, so we welcome the confirmation of funding for the new centre.”
The project is a partnership between the district council, Somerset County Council, Somerset Primary Care Trust, and the community college.
It aims to create opportunities for people to lead healthy lifestyles and raise their skills levels, which in turn will contribute significantly to the economic development of West Somerset.
College principal Nick Swann said: “This national flagship project represents another major breakthrough for the college.
“For several years, staff have been working with other training partners and potential funding bodies to develop more innovative approaches to the delivery of specialist vocational courses.
“This state-of-the-art centre, with the excellent facilities it will provide, will enable us to extend our curriculum to meet the individual needs of many more students, as well as the wider community.
“The outcome will be a much broader range of career opportunities for learners in West Somerset.”
Minehead’s Somerset county Councillor Ian Galloway said: “The skills and enterprise centre will provide an important and much-needed resource. I am proud that it is set to be built in Minehead.”
County council education portfolio holder, Councillor Gloria Cawood, said: “Currently, students from this area hoping to study subjects such as construction have to travel to Bridgwater or Taunton.
“That is a challenge to their learning and the extra miles travelled increase pollution. I am very pleased that we have secured significant new educational opportunities in West Somerset.”
Photo submitted.

'Purple Alliance' poll bid to take over district council

A CO-ORDINATED bid to wrest control of West Somerset District Council from the present Conservative administration will be launched at the quadrennial elections due to take place in May.
Around 20 ‘Independent’ candidates will stand for election in a co-ordinated campaign echoing the television comedy-drama The Amazing Mrs Pritchard.
In the television series, a supermarket manageress decides to run for election as an Independent MP, then suddenly finds herself leading a Purple Alliance party, and becomes the Prime Minister.
The parallel West Somerset scenario is being led by retired Dulverton shopkeeper Keith Ross (pictured), who is a sitting district councillor, with the backing of Minehead shopkeeper Graham Sizer.
They have rallied people to put up as ‘Independents’ at the May elections, although the group is closely linked with the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Sizer was formerly chairman of the Lib Dem-created pressure group Direct, and he also nominated the Lib Dem candidate, Ian Galloway, in the controversial Somerset County Council elections of 2005 when sitting Conservative councillor Colin Hill was ousted from his Minehead seat.
Councillor Ross admitted to The Crier that the ‘Independent’ group of candidates had been called together for a first meeting which had been hosted by a Liberal Democrat.
However, Mr Sizer denied being involved in any interviewing of potential ‘Independent’ candidates or screening of them to select candidates in order that they did not stand against each other in a particular ward and split the vote.
Mr Sizer said:” It has been blown up out of all proportion. There is no politics involved.
“There is a group just like any other group of politicians. There are a lot of people out there who are fed up with how the council is being run at the moment.
“They are good people. They just need a help in getting around the protocols of things. There has never been any screening. It is a hell of a broad platform.
“There has been no agenda in anything as far as bringing the ‘Independents’ together under one umbrella.”
Mr Sizer said he did not know how The Crier columnist Dudley Seale had formed the impressed that he had been asked to go before a ‘selection panel’ when he expressed an interest in standing for the council.
Councillor Ross said the next ‘Independent’ group meeting would be on neutral ground at the Queens Hall, Minehead.
However, the premises are owned by former Labour councillor Marcus Kravis – and Labour members at County Hall have helped to keep the Lib Dem administration in power.
Councillor Ross said the meeting on March 21 was for anybody ‘with a mind of their own’, which meant ‘somebody who is not led by a political party’.
He said: “We will give them our support to get them elected, ‘we’ being the existing members of the council who are Independent.
“There is help readily available through the Independent group at the Local Government Association, which is there to help councillors and candidates to get a foot on the ladder.
“They do not become an Independent political party. There are no group meetings. All decisions are made in open debate in front of the community, not behind closed doors as political parties do, and it will include all members of the council in that initial debate.
“Many of the people I have been talking to will be quite happy not to be a controlling group. They are happy for the best person to do the job.
“If that means Roger Webber (Conservative) is the best person to run finance, then that will be his job – if he gets re-elected.
“We have about 20 candidates at the moment. It will be interesting to see if another 11 come out of the woodwork on the 21st and we can cover the whole district.
“We are also keen that people represent the community in which they live. Somebody living in Dulverton, for instance, would not do justice representing the Quantock Vale ward.”
Photo submitted.

Triathlon needs a £700 business sponsor

SPONSORS are being sought by West Somerset Council’s leisure team for one of the district’s top sporting events, the Minehead Triathlon, which is to be held at Aquasplash on July 22.
Leisure officer Matt Stevens, who organises the event, said: “This year we are offering a great package for a main sponsor as well as our usual packages for support sponsors.
“The main sponsor’s name will be used in conjunction with the event name in all publicity linked to the triathlon and will also feature on the front of the athletes’ shirts so it is a fantastic opportunity - all for a very reasonable £700.”
It is the third year the council has organised the popular event, which centres around the Aquasplash pool and gym complex.
The triathlon combines a swimming challenge, a cycle race to Porlock and back, and running to and from Dunster Beach.
Mr Stevens said: “There is still plenty of space for our other sponsors with prices ranging from £50 to £400 with businesses’ logos appearing on the back of athletes’ shirts.
“All sponsors get mentioned on the website, in advertising, and in the race pack handed out to competitors on the day.”
The council’s leisure, culture, and recreation portfolio holder, Councillor Keith Ross, said: “This is great value-for-money advertising for local businesses.
“The triathlon has gone from strength to strength. It had 156 entrants two years ago, 186 last year, and we are pretty sure we can secure a capacity field of 200 competitors this year.
“Not only does the triathlon bring these competitors, who may never have otherwise visited the area, to West Somerset, it also brings their families and supporters so it is fantastic for the local economy.
“I hope local businesses will support this event because it brings a lot of good publicity and custom to Minehead.”
Anybody wanting to sponsor the triathlon should contact Matt Stevens on 01643 703704 or email mstevens@westsomerset.gov.uk.