LIB DEMS DENOUNCE SOMERSET FARMERS (02/10/02)

At the Executive Meeting of Somerset County Council (2nd October), Liberal Democrats voted to close a road in Stogumber, vital to the local farming community.

After a road slippage in Stogumber some eighteen months ago, finally the Liberal Democrats have made a decision.Despite pleas and major concerns by Conservative councillors, the ruling Lib Dems voted for an indefinite road closure.

Local farmer, Richard Bolton told the Executive ‘to attend my cattle on a daily basis, I will have to travel an extra 1000 miles a year.’

Brian Langley, another local farmer, when told that he had 2 minutes in which to make his case.He replied, ‘Yes.And the County Council have had eighteen months.’

He said, ‘I have offered my land to renew the riverbank but the Council were not interested.They have left it until the last possible moment.The only two people who have bothered to look at the area were overruled.The Council has not done its homework.The suggested alternative road is so steep and so narrow that loaded farm vehicles could not use it.’

Conservative County Councillors voted against the motion. Colin Hill, deputy leader of the Conservative group, said, ‘this community has already waited eighteen months for something to be done.Reporting back in another year is adding insult to injury.There is not even a guarantee that something will have been sorted then.In fact, the road closure order allows the County Council to do nothing indefinitely.

‘It is little comfort to the local farmers that the Liberal Democrats feel they should sort it out amongst themselves.The County Council has a duty to maintain these roads.This road is quiet, and repairs to it will not achieve such good publicity for the Liberal Democrats.Nonetheless, it is of vital importance to the local residents.’

Liberal Democrat for Chard, Jill Shortland, commented that farmers should have a better community spirit.‘Surely they can sort it out themselves.They could offer the use of their fields to drive across to access land further away from the road.’

Brian Langley commented, ‘She has no idea what she is talking about.If she bothered to see the site, she would understand this is impossible.The fields are too boggy in the wet weather.I can’t believe she was actually allowed to vote on this.The point is that the Council should not have allowed the roads to get into this state in the first place.The County Council has not heard the last of this.’

Local Conservative County Councillor, Anthony Trollope-Bellew, commented, ‘I will support any objection.It might go under the title of ‘Traffic Regulation Order’ but what it amounts to is road closure.The Liberal Democrats issued a TRO initially for one year.It was then extended by six months.And now we have yet another TRO.This time it’s permanent.’