Election oddities
I’m blogging as relaxation at the moment, I’ve been (dis)organising things all weekend and have now prepared for my radio show at 3pm as well as tonight’s party.
Well, the candidates were published for Morley South earlier in the week, with a couple of surprises.
The first surprise is that former Councillor (& radio station music guru) Stewart McArdle is standing for nearby Ardsley & Robin Hood Ward. East Ardsley is just down the road and still classed as Leeds so there is no bar to that. It remains something of a Labour stronghold though and the Morley Borough Independents have tried before and not made much impact.
The second surprise is that the MBI leader (& current incumbent) Councillor Robert Finnigan has given his address as 97A Queen Street on the official paperwork which is rather surprising as that is where I thought Councillor Terry Grayshon lived. Terry recently said on Facebook that he lives opposite the Town Hall and 97A isn’t opposite so maybe he has moved and Robert has picked up the lease. (Of course, he might just be the lodger). The electoral register has him living in Batley and he used to live in Driglington so it is all a bit odd. However he couldn’t have got onto the ballot paper unless it was all in order as there are checks as part of the process. (Certainly Proposers and Seconders have been rejected previously because they aren’t on the electoral register).
Leeds Website isn’t overly informative about the rules about becoming a Councillor, but Kirklees is:
Who can become a councillor?
You can become a councillor if you:
- are 18 or over on the day of nomination
- have property in or work connections within Kirklees
- are a UK, Commonwealth EU or Irish Republic citizen
- have not been declared bankrupt
- you are on the electoral roll in the council area
Now it was in the paper recently that Cllr Finnigan recently resigned from his job (in Kirklees) due to alleged bullying and intimidation by others. There is something very fishy here, which no doubt his opponents will seize on. If he isn’t on the electoral roll then he isn’t eligible to stand and that opens up a bag of worms…
No doubt the investigative journalists of the Morley Obtiser are on the case and we can expect an explosive expose’ on Wednesday, or maybe a damp squib.
Sorry so late but hope you have had a wonderful birthday and an even more wonderful birthday bash! Want to read all about it here. Love from Sicily xx and an affectionate woof! - from Simi x
Comment by Welshcakes Limoncello — April 13, 2008 @ 12:19 am
If your local rag is anything like mine they’ll wait until someone sends them a copy+paste press release!
Comment by wonkotsane — April 14, 2008 @ 9:44 pm
Wonko, it seems endemic in the local press these days. The main focus is on advertising space.
Comment by Shades — April 15, 2008 @ 4:28 pm
Leeds City council (Bill.Gillatt@leeds.gov.uk) have told me that he qualifies as a candidate because he has “eligibility under criteria c that his principal or only employment has been in Morley.”
But that is unlikely, because it has been reported in the Morley Observer that he left his job of 23 years, (which was working for Kirklees Council) on 19th March 2008.
Comment by Nigel — April 21, 2008 @ 10:16 pm
Well, he has worked for the Leeds City Council as a Councillor, based out of Morley Town Hall, but that is circular logic.
I believe to qualify, you need to be appropriately employed on the day of paperwork submission and the day of the election, so if it is the Council job he is claiming and he is not elected, that would be curious.
Comment by Shades — April 22, 2008 @ 5:53 pm