Dear Editor,
On Thursday, September 25, Somerset Council had the chance to show real leadership on the housing crisis.
Liberal Democrat councillors put forward a motion calling for Somerset’s fair share of the government’s £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, funding that could deliver thousands of desperately needed homes for local families.
The outcome was telling.
Liberal Democrats voted to fight for Somerset.
Most Conservative councillors abstained.
So did the Reform councillor.
When given the chance to back our communities, they chose silence.
This follows a wider pattern.
Remember Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage’s Brexit bus promise of £350m, a week for the NHS?
Empty words.
Today our health service faces staff shortages, record waiting lists and chronic underfunding.
In 2021, Somerset’s own Conservative leader warned councils were on the brink of bankruptcy due to spiralling social care costs.
His government ignored him.
Meanwhile, Conservatives dictated asylum hotels without consultation and introduced fast-track visas for overseas workers, the very system they now attack.
What our county needs is not scapegoating or division, but solutions: building homes, funding vital services, and bringing people together.
That is what the Liberal Democrats are working hard to deliver - under hard financial emergency.
We don’t live in a Westminster bubble.
We share the same struggles as you.
rising bills, shortages of NHS dental services, GP delays, and the fight for affordable housing.
The Conservatives and Reform Party had their chance, but chose to divide.
The Liberal Democrats are standing up for united Somerset - because we care.
Cllr Habib Farbahi
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