The Tory candidate for Tiverton & Minehead, and sitting MP, Ian Liddell-Grainger, has launched a scathing attack on Mid Devon District Council (MDDC) in a 25-minute tirade in Westminster.
Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com
Ian Liddell-Grainger’s comments have been described as ‘bald faced lies, sexist and sexually inappropriate’ by Mid Devon’s leader, Luke Taylor.
His main focus of attack was alleging that MDDC’s development arm, 3 Rivers Development’s Ltd, which has ceased trading following losses of up to £21 million was a ‘loss-making white elephant’.
The company was founded in 2017 while the authority was under Conservative leadership, before independent councillors were leading the authority between 2019 and 2023 when in May the Liberal Democrats had a landslide victory.
Mr Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, made a scathing speech in Westminster Hall on Tuesday, December 19, in which he called the council’s investment venture a “modern morality tale in the manner of Charles Dickens”.
He said that the council’s senior officers, led by chief executive Stephen Walford and deputy chief executive Andrew Jarrett, were “chronically naive” and “out of touch” with the way commerce works, and that they had gambled with taxpayers’ money on risky projects that failed to deliver.
He said: “When Walford and Jarrett moved into their jobs as top officers, I think they probably wanted to make their mark. But neither of them had any experience at all in any other trade or profession; I do not think either of them had ever actually even done a paper round.
“There should have been alarm bells ringing at every level, but Mr Walford and his number-crunching colleague were a convincing double act like Laurel and Hardy—and many others I can think of.”
He also criticised the council’s current leader, Liberal Democrat Luke Taylor, whom he mockingly referred to as “Mr Thingamabob”, for refusing to shut down the company, which he said had cost the council £21.3 million in loans.
He said: “The Liberal Democrats, who are now refusing to shut down this loss-making white elephant, never objected to its creation in the first place. If they did, they did it so quietly that nobody noticed. Mr Thingamabob may well have been won over by his smooth-talking chief exec; after all, it would be perfectly normal for him to trust his officers.
“Elected members never get paid enough to justify full-time work on council business. They are dedicated amateurs, no matter the party. They are obliged to listen to their officers—especially the most senior, who is the chief executive.”
He claimed that the council had been “incredibly coy” about revealing any details about the company, and that the scrutiny committee had produced a “cack-handed and useless” report that did not hold anyone accountable.
He said that the council had become “toxic” and that there was a “poor relationship” between the company and the elected members, who had lost trust in the officers.
He also alleged that the council had withheld information from the public, and that the chairman of the council, Councillor Frank Letch, had “brutally suppressed” any debate.
He concluded: “This is a saga of wasted opportunity, of council officials wielding enormous influence over councillors, letting them down, then falling out with the whole council. It is a disgrace. Those are all distressing situations, but there have been well-sourced stories in the press recently of real anger from members of the public who tried to obtain simple information about 3 Rivers Developments but were rebuffed.
“People complained that MDDC thinks that the whole business is far too complicated for ordinary people to understand, so information is deliberately withheld.
“When complaints are made at full council meetings, the chairman of the council brutally suppresses any debate. The chairman’s name, incidentally, is Councillor Frank Letch—a man with a short fuse. Perhaps it is a struggle—the naming of a person like Letch. Mainly, the posh dwellings designed for some spare land next to the council buildings are being converted for the use of over-60s, even though the location is completely unsuitable.
“I could, but will not, go on and on. This is a saga of cockups and blunder, and it is very expensive indeed. I would rather risk public money with Ebenezer Scrooge than with those responsible in Mid Devon, and especially the chairman of scrutiny, who is quite ridiculously incompetent.”
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Simon Hoare responded in the debate saying: “Mid Devon District Council is not on my departmental radar as a council causing concern in terms of its finances. Financial management is a different thing. In terms of its basic finances, it is not on the radar.
“I do not know the gentleman to whom he refers with regard to the senior officers, and I can only speak from experience of my exposure and interaction with local government officers over very many years. My experience is that they are women and men of integrity who, day in and day out, devote themselves to the public service of their communities and always strive to do their best.
“Sometimes the best is not good enough, and sometimes the wrong decisions are taken. I think that the motivations of people in public service are usually strong and beyond challenge. I say gently to my hon. Friend that he may not like some of the things that the council has done, and he may have done things differently, but I repeat that the council is not currently on our radar.”
He concluded: “It is particularly important when any party has a very large majority, as the Liberal Democrats do in Mid Devon at the moment. One almost needs to double up and double down on scrutiny in order to prove beyond peradventure that that job is being done. I am about to run out of time. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this issue. As I say, I am happy to continue our conversation in order to ensure that the good folk of Mid Devon receive the service and services to which are they entitled and deserve.”
Mid Devon Liberal Democrats have welcomed remarks from the Local Government Minister, after they expressed confidence in the financial position of Mid Devon District Council.
Councillor Luke Taylor, Liberal Democrat Leader of Mid Devon District Council, said: “Unlike Mr. Liddell-Grainger, Liberal Democrats are focused on ensuring that the residents of Mid Devon receive the quality service and services that they deserve.
“Despite inappropriate language and wild claims by the MP for Bridgwater, it’s telling that even his own Government acknowledges that Mid Devon District Council has no case to answer when it comes to financial management.
“I am sure that Bridgwater residents would rather their MP be focused on tackling the issues they face, instead of these desperate attempts to be relevant here in Mid Devon.
“On behalf of the Mid Devon Liberal Democrats, I want to thank the government for acknowledging the council’s financial prudence. We will remain focused on doing all we can to support everyone living across our towns and villages.”
He added: “Despite the unfounded allegations, bald faced lies, sexist and sexually inappropriate language used by the Conservative MP for Bridgwater, cowering behind Parliamentary Privilege, this Government has recognised that MDDC has no case to answer. We can only hope that this will bring an end to the sordid campaign run by this most un Parliamentary of MPs.”
East Devon Watch 