“Somerset Liberal Democrats’ Press Release, 26 September 2016:
Tories sit by whilst County Council faces Bankruptcy.
“The County Council’s finances are in a dire situation.”
Today, 26th September, the Conservative Cabinet running Somerset County Council have been discussing the possibility of declaring the Authority bankrupt. In the Revenue Outturn report the County Finance Director has informed the Cabinet that he may have to invoke Section 114 – which will mean that they have to bring in immediate savings to rectify the dire financial situation. The Government would also be advised that the County Council may not be able to pay all its bills! …
…“They have made Somerset County Council into a commissioning council, which has outsourced over £1 billion of contracts, with no real political control over the costs or the outcomes. The Tories have tied us into contracts for services we longer need. Indeed, far too many contracts, which gives the Council no flexibility on finance at all.”
“The Conservative Cabinet have had no long term thinking nor have they acted strategically, but have introduced damaging cuts in a salami slicing way, that have badly damaged valuable and useful services, causing the death of the Council by a thousand cuts. …
… “The Section 151 Officer [see also post below] has raised the spectre of Section 114 and the need for the Cabinet to now make further drastic cuts. And they are doing nothing to increase income generation within the Council, nor are they developing our good services into winning services across the South West.”
http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/2016/09/28/somerset-county-councils-22m-overspend/
And this is the council watching over our LEP!
East Devon Watch 
Whilst all the criticisms in the article are no doubt valid, let’s not forget that it has been the “austerity cuts” to county councils which have caused this, and a county council declaring bankruptcy would certainly send a message to government to stop wrecking this country with their plans which are either half-baked with huge unintended consequences or are being imposed in pursuit of a hidden political agenda.
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