Yeovil MP will not give up council seat to focus solely on Westminster duties

Daniel Mumby

21 November 2024 at 7:07 am·2-min read

Yeovil MP Adam Dance outside Yeovil Hospital — -Credit: (Image: Yeovil Liberal Democrats)

YEOVIL's new MP will not be giving up his role as a local councillor, stating he is "fully committed" to both his roles. Adam Dance was one of six Liberal Democrat candidates who won Somerset seats at July's general election - of which four held a separate elected position on a local council.

His fellow MPs have taken different approaches towards balancing their public duties, with Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke triggering a by-election in her Blackmoor Vale division by standing down in mid-October. Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour (who also sits on Mid Devon District Council) said in early-November that she would be donating her monthly councillor allowance to Citizens Advice, intending to stand down in the local elections due to take place in May 2025.

Mr Dance has now confirmed he intends to continue serving as both an MP and a councillor, having stepped back from Somerset Council's executive in May to focus on the election campaign. Mr Dance represents the South Petherton and Islemoor division, which comprises numerous villages either side of the A303 between Yeovil and Ilminster.

He said: "I am committed to being a strong constituency MP for the people of Yeovil and south Somerset. Continuing my role as a Somerset Council councillor is essential to effectively serve our community, as it provides me with first-hand knowledge of what is happening on the ground in Somerset.

"This position allows me to connect with key council members and staff and to raise questions on a wide range of local issues, ensuring that I can best represent and advocate for my constituents while serving as their MP. In line with my dedication to focus on my responsibilities as MP, I stepped down from my position as the portfolio holder for public health, equalities and diversity in May.

Yeovil MP Adam Dance above the A303 Ilminster bypass -Credit:Yeovil Liberal Democrats

"This portfolio required significant time and attention, and stepping back from it enables me to prioritise my work as your representative in Westminster while remaining an informed, involved voice on the council. As a back-bench member, I am fully committed to using this dual role to bridge the work of local and national government, helping to bring meaningful change and support to Somerset."

Mr Dance has not confirmed whether he intends to continue claiming his monthly councillor allowance on top of his Westminster salary. Wells and Mendip Hills MP Tessa Munt, who represents Wells on Somerset Council, has yet to publicly comment on whether she intends to continue fulfilling both roles over the course of this parliament.

Associated Press
Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine US dollar
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges to its preeminence, members of the alliance and other developing nations say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system. Trump, in a Truth Social post, said: “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy."
The Telegraph
How Putin’s long war is destroying the fabric of Russian society
When Timothy Ash travelled around the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, he met young veterans who had returned from the war in Afghanistan. They were psychologically broken – and drunk.
The Independent
Voices: Blairites are in despair over Keir Starmer’s flailing leadership
COMMENT: A person close to the former PM said the current government is like a bunch of unimaginative ‘librarians and academics’ but, writes John Rentoul, for some Starmer is not just a librarian or an academic but a funeral director
The Telegraph
Revealed: Britain’s worklessness capital where more than half of adults claim benefits
Britain’s worklessness capital has been revealed as central Grimsby after it emerged that more than half of its working-age population claims out-of-work benefits.
CNN
The illusion of Assad’s grip on Syria shatters, as Russia, Iran and Hezbollah let their guard down
Time and time again the Assad dynasty has survived internal and external challenges and lived to fight another day. But nothing lasts forever.
The Independent
Top pollster warns Keir Starmer will struggle to convince public with his ‘plan for change’
Sir John Curtice says Keir Starmer has shown ‘absolutely no ability’ to explain how he is going to lead the country out of its problems after five months of government, as the PM prepares for major policy reset this week
The Telegraph
Labour ‘hit job’ against Louise Haigh had been brewing for months
When Louise Haigh offered train drivers a whopping 15 per cent pay rise in August, she boldly said she was fulfilling a promise to “move fast and fix things” such as the long-running strikes.
Sky News
More than 20,000 people have crossed Channel in small boats since Labour won election
More than 20,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats since Labour came to power. A total of 20,110 people in small boats have now arrived in the UK since the election on 4 July after two boats carrying 122 people reached British waters overnight, according to leaked analysis obtained by Sky News and The Guardian. Sky News reported on Saturday morning the two boats had arrived - the first since 16 November, while the French authorities said 151 people were rescued in the Channel and taken back to France overnight into Sunday morning.
Manchester Evening News
‘Welcome Christmas gift’ as 3,300 pensioners stripped of winter fuel payment handed £200 each by council
The eligible pensioners are those just above the threshold for the axed winter fuel allowance
The Daily Beast
Trump’s FBI Pick Scored Gig After Frontrunner Flunked Job Interview
Kash Patel may have finally been nominated for the position he craved the most—Federal Bureau of Investigation director. But it’s not like Donald Trump wanted him first. President-elect Trump said Saturday he would nominate Patel to head the FBI, heralding him as a “brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter” and signaling he would push current FBI Director Christopher Wray out of his 10-year term. But Patel wasn’t Trump’s first choice for the role, according to Axios—he just di
The Telegraph
Claim suicidal thoughts for benefits: job centre staff show extent of UK’s worklessness crisis
Benefits assessors have blown the whistle on major holes in the welfare system helping to fuel Britain’s worklessness crisis.
Wales Online
Labour is no longer Wales' most popular party in shock political poll
The YouGov poll of 1,121 Welsh voters has surprising findings for several Welsh political parties
The Telegraph
Sinn Fein locked out of power as ruling parties set to win election
Micheál Martin and Simon Harris are in a tight race to become Ireland’s next taoiseach, leaving Sinn Fein locked out of power, according to the latest general election results.
Associated Press
Left behind in Kenya, children of British soldiers struggle to find their identity
Margaret Wandia became pregnant after a week-long relationship with a British soldier training near her community in Kenya. Now that son is 26, and he is part of an effort by a Kenyan lawyer to take a number of such children to Britain. It is a long shot after years of attempts by human rights groups to hold the British military and its personnel accountable for their actions during weeks of training in Kenya — including alleged rapes — and the children they leave behind.
CNN
‘No other reason to explain this’: Juliette Kayyem on Trump’s pick for FBI director
CNN senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem joins CNN’s Jessica Dean to discuss President-elect Donald Trump announcing he intends to nominate Kash Patel to serve as the next director of the FBI.
Reuters
US will not return nuclear weapons to Ukraine
Sullivan made his remarks when questioned about a New York Times article last month that said some unidentified Western officials had suggested U.S. President Joe Biden could give Ukraine the arms before he leaves office. "That is not under consideration, no. What we are doing is surging various conventional capacities to Ukraine so that they can effectively defend themselves and take the fight to the Russians, not (giving them) nuclear capability," he told ABC.
EADT
Woman believes she saw drone shot down over Suffolk air base
A woman who lives near a Suffolk air base which has been at the centre of mysterious drone activity claims she saw one of them shot out of the sky.
The Telegraph
Transgender rapist Isla Bryson mother says, ‘No wigs, dresses or amount of make-up makes you female’
The mother of trangender rapist Isla Bryson has said wearing wigs, dresses and make-up do not make a person a woman, insisting only biology can.
HuffPost UK
Russia Making 'Rapid Advances' In Ukraine As Volodymyr Zelenskyy Hints At Peace Deal
UK intelligence say Putin's forces are attacking "behind established Ukrainian defences".
Associated Press
Stealth destroyer to be home for 1st hypersonic weapon on a US warship
The U.S. Navy is transforming a costly flub into a potent weapon with the first shipborne hypersonic weapon, which is being retrofitted aboard the first of its three stealthy destroyers. The USS Zumwalt is at a Mississippi shipyard where workers have installed missile tubes that replace twin turrets from a gun system that was never activated because it was too expensive. Once the system is complete, the Zumwalt will provide a platform for conducting fast, precision strikes from greater distances, adding to the usefulness of the warship.

Latest stories