8/6/2019 Wells Journal

1/1

E01 CEN March 15, 2007 Mid Somerset Series Pa

News

Civic leaders from across the political divide joined forces yesterday to invoke the spirit ofSomersets ill-fated Pitchfork Rebellion to savethe countys five district councils.

Council leaders, trades unionists and councilchief executiveschoseto arm themselves withadossier of evidence, instead of the armoury ofthe 1685 battle, as they stepped up their cam-paign to defeat Somerset County Councilsplans to abolish local district councils.

Representatives from Mendip, Sedgemoor,South Somerset, Taunton Deane and WestSomerset councils met local MPs and delivereda dossier of evidence against the county coun-cils proposals to Ruth Kelly, the Secretary ofState for Communities and Local Government.

The county councils proposals follow a de-cision by the Department for Communities andLocal Government to explore the developmentof more unitary authorities around the coun-try.

The government favours unitary authorities,but only where they save money and havepopularsupport. Neitherof these criteriaapplyin thecase ofSomerset, saythe districtcouncilswho also point out that a similar proposal wasrejected in the 1990s.

Somerset County Council has put forwardproposals thatwould seethe abolition ofSomer-sets five district councils and the creation of aunitary council based in Taunton.

Leaders from all the district councils say thecountycouncilsplanswouldcreatea newtierofred tape and bureaucr acy, far removed from t hecitizens of Somerset.

Their joint statement reads: Instead of localrepresentation, we would have distant repres-entation. A single Somerset unitary authoritywould be vast and remote.

It would be one of the biggest local au-

thorities in England, with each councillorserving thousands and thousands of electors.Theres no way local councillors could ever getto know their constituents or the local issuesthat were most important to them.

A single unitary authority for Somersetwould be bad for local democracy, bad for localservicesandbad forthe local economy. It cannotbe allowed to happen.

CllrKenMaddockis leaderof MendipDistrictCouncil and fears the proposed unitary au-thority would concentrate on the main centresof population such as Taunton, Bridgwater andYeovil.

Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street andWells would get scant consideration afterthem, he said.

They would have to survive on any crumbsthat might be left over after the larger centreshad been satisfied.

Nigel Osborne from the local governmentunion UNISON said: My real fear is that asinglesupersizecouncil in Somerset wouldhave

no alternative but to cut council services as it

fought to pay the huge costs of becoming aunitary authori ty, he said.

Yesterdays delegation travelled from West-minster to the Department for Communitiesand Local Government in an open-top busprovided byCheddar CavesandGorge, andweremet at Westminster by members of the SealedKnot, invoking in a light heartedway, accordingto Mendip District Council spokesman MennaDavies, the spirit of The Pitchfork Rebellion of1685.

The rebellion, which was led by the Duke ofMonmouth and supported by Somersets farm-ers and peasants was, in some senses, the firstbattle for democratic rights in Somerset, shesaid.

Bassey is keen toplay Glastonbury

By Craig HaresSinging legend Shirley Bassey is keen toplay the Glastonbury Festival, organiserMichael Eavis has confirmed, but it is

provinghardto squeezeher intoa crowdedschedule on the final evening.

An approach by Shirley Basseys manage-ment was well-timed, according to Mr Eavis, astwo planned acts Smokey Robinson and TomPetty have been unable to make the festivaldates.

There had been hopes that the singer fromCardiffs Tig er Bay, who recently celebrated her70th birthday, could play on the main stage ataround 5pm on Sunday, June 24, but it is nowlooking less likely.

Mr Eavissaid: Shirley Basseysmanagementhas been on the phone.

They approached us asking if there was avacancy, and we are still discussing every daywhat may or may not be possible, but Im notsure it is hopeful since we only have about half-an-hour free.

Heconfirmed thatchanges were under way inarrangements for the Pilton Party, with twoevents, three weeks apart, at different venues.

A small-scale Pilton Party will take place on

Friday, August31, withjust 500tickets,as partof

the villages traditional show, which Glaston-bury Festival is supporting with donations of

15,000.Three weeks later, on Friday September 21,

the Pilton Equinox Party will be staged atSteanbow Farm, which is next to Mr Eavissown Worthy Farm.

Mr Eavis said that with the GlastonburyFestival being timed close to the summer sol-stice, an autumn equinox event was appro-priate, while a change of venue was needed asthe village playing field could not take thenumbers keen to come.

The band Massive Attack have yet to beconfirmed as headliners, and Mr Eavis said thenew venue would mean less noise and trafficdisturbance for Pilton.

For the Glastonbury Festival in June, thereare plans to install a temporary footbridge atCastle Cary station to help local commuterswho have to park in a field and walk to thestation while the car park is used for festivalbuses.

Mr Eavis said: It is dangerous for com-muters to walk along that road so we hope we

can build a bridge to take them off the road.

The festival hopes its new sales system, al-lowing people to buy up to four tickets, willencourage more families and friends to cometogether, reducing the number driving to thesite by 7,000.

Having made many changes to ticketing inrecent years, Mr Eavis is keen to try anotheroption, with a lottery for tickets, as hashappened for sporting events, but he admits histeam is opposed to the suggestion: I like theidea myself, but my team are all against it.

Will they, wont they? Shirley Bassey is keen

to play Glastonburys main stage on June 24,

while Massive Attack have yet to be confirmed

for the new Pilton Equinox Party on September

21

No political divide in merge fight