Unitary, to be, or not to be, that is the question

In the wake of the Coronavirus, coming to terms with the ‘new norm’ and rebuilding our communities, the topic gripping Somerset residents is the Future of Local Government. Whilst everyone agrees that things must change, recent press indicates that the battle lines are drawn, each side mustering support. Somerset County Council is plugging its business case for a ‘Unitary’ authority, whilst the four district councils are firmly against the proposal, keen to get their oar in first. The joint statement issued by the district councils makes their position crystal clear; they do not support the ‘One Somerset’ proposal.

Work that was commissioned concluded that a single council for Somerset is the wrong solution, but I remain unclear about what the rationale for this is, or how much taxpayers’ money was spent on the work undertaken.

In making up our own minds we must question the views and opinions aired, teasing out any hidden agendas.

The districts maintain that their focus has been on supporting communities, with SCC relentlessly pushing ahead with the Unitary agenda. As both a district and councillor, I believe that to suggest that SCC’s focus has been diverted from handling the Coronavirus is disingenuous.

For some time, central government funding for local authorities has declined significantly, whilst demand for services has increased, not helped by the reluctance of all parties to increase taxes to pay for appropriate service levels. We cannot have it both ways.

Both SCC and the district councils have undergone ‘transformation’ in recent years, maintaining that whilst achieving financial stability, services have been protected; many local communities would disagree.

Moving forward, everyone broadly agrees on the challenges Somerset faces: poverty, poor social mobility, older people in poor health, climate change, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, economic productivity, skills and wage levels.

South Somerset’s preferred option is ‘collaboration and integration’, but what has there been to prevent this happening anyway?

A Unitary will mean fewer elected members; perhaps there is a protectionist element from those opposing it.  

There is little hard evidence of anything coming forward from the districts’ alternative proposal for a ‘better future’ for Somerset. I look forward to seeing details of why this will be the best option, focusing on what local communities want and need.

Both sides highlight that their preferred option is not about cost saving. We would be naïve to buy into this notion; the first point on the district slide headed what ‘the alternative looks like’ is ‘reduce cost’.

There is also significant use of buzz words, ‘improvement’, ‘quality of life’, ‘positive change’; easy to state, but we need evidence to back up these assertions.

SCC are due to present their business case this month. Whatever is decided, we must robustly challenge to obtain the best outcome for Somerset, where other Unitaries have succeeded, and failed.

Meanwhile, the jury remains out, as we juggle this political hot potato.

‘ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL’

In recent weeks I have had cause to give consideration to this quote from the 19thC novel by Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers; a group of chivalrous swordsmen who fight for justice. It seems that locally elected representatives have a lot in common with them.

The quote means that ‘each individual should act for the benefit of the group, and the group should act for the benefit of each individual’. All very interesting when it comes to local politics.

According to the Local Government Association ‘a councillor's primary role (their underlining, not mine) is to represent their ward or division and the people who live in it. Councillors provide a bridge between the community and the council, being an advocate for local residents, signposting them to the right people and keeping them informed about issues that affect them’

This is a view I share, but not one universally acknowledged by a number of my fellow councillors. Somerset is a largely rural county and we are fortunate in that many people, often of retirement age, choose to re-locate here. The impact of this can be a double-edge sword (Musketeers analogy?!). There are those, often with income at their disposal, who are perceived to be ‘taking over’, causing resentment amongst those born and bred in the area. Then, particularly when it comes to planning, there is the NIMBY (not in my back yard) syndrome; which frustrates the hell out of developers, and sometime planning officers. We live in a constantly changing environment and having invested money, time and emotional energy in your dream home it must be really angry-making to find development encroaching on the idyllic lifestyle you dreamed of. This is a view I can sympathise with on some levels; the NIMBY refrain is persistent but in reality most people just want to have their views and opinions considered, even if the outcome is not always desirable. All this aside, significant research has shown that where we live does have a huge impact on our mental well-being. For those making a conscious decision to seek a rural environment I can see why they would want to protect it, finding it distressing to discover that a housing estate is about to be built on their doorstep.

South Somerset are currently reviewing their planning process, which everyone agrees is long overdue. Local councillors are involved in the reform that is taking place, but it concerns me that some hold the view that ‘parish and town councils have to adjust to the district council’s way of working, and learn to vote with their heads instead of their hearts’. It will be interesting, come election time, if the electorate do indeed vote with their heads instead of their hearts. I stand by the view that I have been elected, in the face of increasing bureaucracy, to represent the local community.

Where we live IS an emotional issue; can it be so wrong for an Englishman to consider his home his castle?

GIVING FOR A SPECIFIC CAUSE

The gifts given to Nyumbani come in many forms: from donations of cash and funding pledges to school supplies for the children. Sometimes visitors who have been to Kenya see a need while there that inspires them to go back home and use their connections and fundraising abilities to fulfil that need.

For Linda Vijeh, a Rotarian and county councillor from Ilminster, UK, the need was milk. After six months of fundraising events such as dinners, quizzes, wine tastings and more, Linda and her supporters raised £1,000 (over $1,200) to buy a cow for the Nyumbani Village.

“When I contribute to causes, I prefer to find a specific project, which gives charitable efforts a better focus. It helps with fundraising because people are more willing to give if they feel there is something tangible as a result,” Linda explains. She should know because she’s involved with many different causes.

In the case of Nyumbani, “Protus (Nyumbani Home’s general manager) was able to give me an idea how much a cow would cost so I had a fundraising target. I have always thought that doing something practical is better than just a handout,” she explains.

Linda’s idea to purchase a cow sprang from a visit she took to Kenya several years ago with 14 other Rotarians who raised funds for Nyumbani and spent two weeks painting, decorating and doing maintenance work at the Home and the Village.

“Although I enjoyed the experience and felt what we were doing was worthwhile, I also began to feel we were a bunch of wealthy westerners turning up long enough to do a few things, then leaving. I wanted to do something more tangible to continue my support,” she says.

Inspired by the Village’s goal of sustainability and the children’s constant need for milk, she went back home determined to fulfill that need.

Although she raised the money in six months, it took another frustrating two-and-a-half years to cut through the red tape and other challenges in making the gift a reality. But in the end, not only did she get proof (a photo) that her gift had finally found its new home, she learned of an added bonus: the cow that arrived was pregnant. According to Protus, mother (name Baraka) and child (named Linda) are thriving, and the mother is providing a good supply of milk to support families in the village.

“That’s mostly certainly a gift from God,” the baby’s namesake says.


**Article to be published in Autumn 2020**

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