Somerset Conservatives have accused the Liberal Democrat administration of presiding over continuing “financial instability and chaos” after it emerged the council will spend almost £300,000 extending its temporary finance chief arrangement for another year.
A report presented to Full Council on Wednesday 20th May confirmed that Somerset Council will spend £291,400 on extending interim Section 151 Officer arrangements during 2026/27, £89,300 more than the original budget. The report also confirmed the additional cost will be funded through the Council’s Capitalisation Direction.
The report further states that the interim finance chief is engaged on a four-day-a-week arrangement through the council’s agency framework.
The Conservative Opposition Group said the situation highlighted ongoing instability at the top of the authority and raised further concerns about the council’s financial management under the Liberal Democrat administration.
Speaking during the meeting, Conservative Group Leader Councillor Diogo Rodrigues questioned both the cost of the arrangement and the council’s continued reliance on exceptional financial measures.
Councillor Rodrigues said:
“We can see that the cost of extending the interim Section 151 Officer arrangement is £291,400, with an additional funding requirement of £89,300 for just one year alone, almost double of what the Prime Minister earns.
This is for a four-day-a-week temporary arrangement which residents will rightly see as a very hefty sum at a time they are paying higher council tax bills and continuing to see pressure on local services.
The report states this will be funded through the Council’s Capitalisation Direction. In simple terms, Somerset Council is relying on selling assets and exceptional financial measures to help fund temporary senior management costs."
Councillor Rodrigues also raised concerns about the council’s continued inability to secure a permanent finance chief, despite Full Council previously approving a substantive appointment earlier this year which later fell through.
He added:
“The Liberal Democrats talk about Somerset Council entering a period of stability, but there is clearly no stability when the council is still without a permanent finance officer and continuing to rely on expensive interim arrangements.
The permanent candidate who withdrew would have been the fifth finance officer in four years. That level of turnover is not normal and it points to ongoing instability at the very top of Somerset Council.”
