Poll on future of Somerset local government will continue - despite row over spoof website

A poll over the future of local government in Somerset will continue – despite a row over a spoof website.

Two rivalling proposals for the future of local government in Somerset are currently being assessed by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), with a decision due in the summer.

The four district councils are running a poll until June 4, giving residents the chance to express their preference with the results being sent to communities secretary Robert Jenrick MP.

The poll's credibility was called into question after a link contained in the material posted out to residents directed people to a website spoofing the One Somerset camp.

The districts have apologised to Somerset County Council and the government, but has vowed the poll will continue as planned.

Here's where things stand with this thorny issue...

What is this poll?

The poll is being paid for by Somerset's four district councils – Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West & Taunton and South Somerset – and runs until June 4.

It allows every resident in Somerset to chance to vote, either by post or online, between the two competing visions for how the county should be run from 2023 onwards:

• One Somerset, backed by the county council – which involves the five existing councils being abolished and replaced with a single unitary council, with more power being devolved to local community networks and parish councils
• Stronger Somerset, backed by the district councils – which will see the five existing councils replaced with two unitary councils (one for the east, one for the west)

Civica is running the poll at a cost of £310,000 (split between the four councils), with the results being sent to MHCLG on June 7.

What is the source of the controversy?

Alongside the ballot paper, the pack sent out to all Somerset residents includes two leaflets, explaining both campaigns and directing people to the full business cases on their respective websites.

However, instead of directing people to www.onesomerset.org.uk (the official One Somerset website), the leaflet directs the reader to www.onesomerset.org – a spoof website created to satirise these proposals.

The site, which has now been set to private viewing only, includes jokes at the expense of both Somerset County Council leader David Fothergill and its programme director Dr Carlton Brand, as well as listing joke pledges such as "every child will receive a rubber Sputnik" and "your parents will be turned into big blue arrows".

The leaflet promoting Stronger Somerset directs people to the correct website (www.strongersomerset.co.uk) – raising questions about whether the poll can truly be considered impartial.

How has the government responded?

Mr Jenrick wrote to the four district council leaders on Monday (May 24), criticising what he called a "serious failure" in their conduct which "risks undermining the reputation and standing of local government in the country".

He urged the councils to lay out what steps they had taken and issue a formal apology, stating: "It is unacceptable for a council at taxpayers' expense to have circulated reference to material that is offensive and contains sexist and derogatory depictions of women."

Mr Jenrick said the councils were solely to blame for this failure, and said the conduct and funding of the polls should be discussed with each council's internal auditors.

Luke Hall, minister for local government and MP for Thornbury and Yate, said: "I am appalled by the events in Somerset – nobody, let alone a public body, should be sharing sexist, derogatory materials.

"This is a grave failure by the district councils and risks damaging residents' trust in those elected to serve them.

"We have asked senior council leaders what action they will be taking as a result of this wholly unacceptable matter.

"This should include an unreserved apology to those affected by the offensive remarks, and confirmation of steps they are taking to ensure this never happens again."

How did the districts respond?

The four districts have responded with two letters – one to Mr Jenrick, and one to county council leader David Fothergill.

In their letter to the government, the leaders apologised for the "minor clerical error" which had directed residents to the wrong website – but were less contrite regarding where the blame for the matter resided.

They said: "While we accept we are responsible for sending this information out, we did not exercise editorial control over the leaflet to ensure impartiality.

"While we recognise our part in the mistake, we had no knowledge of the spoof website. For the avoidance of doubt, we did not know of the site, and we are not responsible for the content."

The councils said the online leaflet had been corrected, and they had lobbied WordPress to take down the spoof website.

Upon contacting the police, they claimed that there had been "very few viewings of the site, in the low hundreds" compared to the "tens of thousands" of votes which had already been cast.

They said: "We are satisfied that the local poll has not been invalidated.

"Indeed, we have gone to great lengths to ensure a fair and impartial poll. Tens of thousands of people have already voted and we would not want them to feel their votes will not count."

In the letter to Mr Fothergill, the leaders reiterated their apology while pointing out that the county council did not respond with any comments or corrections when the draft leaflet was circulated.

They went on to express their dismay at Mr Fothergill's continued opposition to the poll.

They said: "We have an obligation to ensure our residents are given a meaningful say in the future of their area and how they are governed.

"A public poll is both the right thing to do and the democratic thing to do. Far from being confusing – as you state – we believe a local poll to be the clearest possible example of democracy in action.

"It is immensely disappointing to see that you continue to question the impartiality of the poll."

What happens now?

The poll will continue as planned, with residents having until 5pm on June 4 to have their say.

Mr Jenrick is expected to make his decision on which (if either) plan is taken forward before parliament rises for the summer recess, which is set to begin in late-July.