Liberal Democrat Councillors will support the co-option of a new town Councillor in Newbury’s Northcroft ward, following the tragic death of Gina Houghton last month.
Local resident, Ben Weatherill has been chosen to succeed the position, following the untimely death of Gina. He will be presented to the Council for approval in due course. The decision to co-opt means that taxpayers will be saved several thousand pounds in election running costs.
The process of selecting a suitable candidate to fill the vacancy fell to West Berkshire Cllr Tony Vickers, also of Northcroft Ward, and chair of the Newbury Liberal Democrat branch.
Commenting on his decision Tony said, "We are lucky to have found many new young members during the recent general election. One of these lives in Northcroft Ward and presented himself to the Local Party for approval last weekend. Ben works in Newbury and we believe will make an excellent Town Councillor.”
The decision to fill vacancy by co-option was welcomed by the Chair of the Lib Dem group on the Town Council, David Allen. “I am pleased that the Conservative Party, in the light of the recent result in Thatcham South by-elections, has decided not to incur expense to taxpayers by contesting this vacancy. Northcroft residents elected a Liberal Democrat Councillor to serve a four year term. They deserve to have this promise fulfilled, without the expense of another election.”
I can't help feeling there was a missed opportunity here for a anti-vision candidate to win a seat. By-elections are the best time for a local issue to dominate the vote.
Interesting to see it is the Lib Dems who select the new councillor, not the Town Council.
The Conservatives declined to contest the seat on the basis of saving money and encouraged the Lib Dems to select an independent candidate like David Yates. Obviously they (the Lib Dems) have totally ignored this request. Perhaps their arrogance will cause them to lose the seat next May.
The Conservatives declined to contest the seat on the basis of saving money and encouraged the Lib Dems to select an independent candidate like David Yates. Obviously they (the Lib Dems) have totally ignored this request. Perhaps their arrogance will cause them to lose the seat next May.
The electorate opted to be represented by a Lib Dem - why is it arrogance to appoint a Lib Dem? Surely it would be arrogance to decide that any other representative should be co-opted?
My surprise was that it was not the whole Town Council that decided who to co-opt but (seemingly) a single member of the local Lib Dem setup. However, I suppose the Town Council will effectively do so if and when they rubber stamp the proposed candidate.
The electorate opted to be represented by a Lib Dem
They might have done 4 years ago. They could have changed their mind by now, which could have been proven by the Conservatives opting for a by-election. However they suggested an independent, a request which was obviously ignored by Councillor Vickers, who is a District Councillor anyway.
Must admit I do think it wholly arrogant for the Lib Dems to suggest that's what the ward electorate want. I'd certainly vote for Gina Houghton but NOT because she was a Lib Dem. Rather more people than they might suspect vote for the person not the party. Hence continued support for Cllr Barnett in what is now a Tory seat. The other surprise is that the Lib Dems turned down an election on the grounds of cost. Aren't they supposed to be the party wholly behind democracy? If they've lost the message locally - look at the title!!! Suspect this is yet another example where once in power the Lib Dem attitude changes, just as Vince Cable has recently suggested. Oh well Two Legs Bad....
Must admit I do think it wholly arrogant for the Lib Dems to suggest that's what the ward electorate want. I'd certainly vote for Gina Houghton but NOT because she was a Lib Dem. Rather more people than they might suspect vote for the person not the party. Hence continued support for Cllr Barnett in what is now a Tory seat. The other surprise is that the Lib Dems turned down an election on the grounds of cost. Aren't they supposed to be the party wholly behind democracy? If they've lost the message locally - look at the title!!! Suspect this is yet another example where once in power the Lib Dem attitude changes, just as Vince Cable has recently suggested. Oh well Two Legs Bad....
It was the Tories who decided not to push for the election in order to save money - the Lib Dems accepted as it meant they could replace Gina with another Lib Dem and maintain the status quo without the hassle of an election. I suspect neither party particularly wanted an election given the unpopular measures their leaders are implementing at the national level - too much chance of a serious independent candidate making a serious point by winning the seat. Howver, no independent candidate came along either - all it needed was 10 electors to call for a by-election and it would have to take place. The Tories and Lib Dems are not the only ones who could have triggered off some local democracy.
Mind you most other parish councils are full of co-opted members, it's not exactly a new idea.
Mind you most other parish councils are full of co-opted members, it's not exactly a new idea.
Just another instance of allowing personal affiliations to central government getting in the way of running a fairly toothless town council. Who cares, the chances of them making a decision which will be supported by WBC are pretty slim anyway.
It was the Tories who decided not to push for the election in order to save money - the Lib Dems accepted as it meant they could replace Gina with another Lib Dem and maintain the status quo without the hassle of an election. I suspect neither party particularly wanted an election given the unpopular measures their leaders are implementing at the national level - too much chance of a serious independent candidate making a serious point by winning the seat. Howver, no independent candidate came along either - all it needed was 10 electors to call for a by-election and it would have to take place. The Tories and Lib Dems are not the only ones who could have triggered off some local democracy.
Mind you most other parish councils are full of co-opted members, it's not exactly a new idea.
Yes, thinking about it - tend to agree. Demonstrates that Newbury Town is no more than a Parish Council; which given their effectiveness and the public interest are simply a complete waste of time and money. Simply a clubs for those who want to dress up and play politicians; shame we have to pay the subs!
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