LIB DEM £30 MILLION COMPUTER CRASH

Lib Dems at County Hall were forced to admit over the Bank Holiday weekend that their new computer system is to be delayed - for the third time.

The system is called SAP, and is part of the secretive Southwest One contract that Lib Dem Somerset County Council entered into with IBM. The system, which was initially due to cost £30million of taxpayers' money, was due to be fully operational on February 1^st. It was then delayed until April 1^st. But this deadline came and went and it was put off again until June 1^st.

However, just days before the twice-delayed launch, County Hall staff received an email telling them that the system will be stalled yet further, with no prospect of an end to the delays in sight.

David Huxtable, Conservative Group Spokesman on Finance, said, "It is sad to note that with all the resources of IBM and all the promises given, this project is slipping and slipping. The Conservatives have consistently warned of possible delays with the implementation and our worst fears have been realised. This looks like yet another part of County Hall that needs sorting out by the Conservatives if we win the election."

Ken Maddock, Leader of the Conservative Group at Somerset County Council, added, "This is a fitting legacy to the last 16 years of Lib Dems at Somerset County Council. They committed themselves to spend £30million of Somerset residents' money on this system, and yet cannot deliver it on time. In their 2005 Election Manifesto they promised to install such a system, but, 4 years on, it is still not operational. This is just another example of the Lib Dems failing the people of Somerset.''

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