Councillor calls for by-election candidate to be disqualified
A COUNCILLOR has called for a candidate in the Clewer North by-election to be disqualified after his party allegedly broke the 'purdah'.
Independent Cllr Malcolm Beer feels articles written in the Around the Royal Borough newspaper could provide Conservative candidate John Collins with an unfair advantage in the by-election due to be held on Thursday.
The newspaper, produced by the Royal Borough, included articles featuring the leader of the Conservative administration, its councillors and Conservative policies, which would break the rules of 'purdah', and Cllr Beer claims it has only been distributed in the Clewer North ward.
In an email, seen by The Observer, sent to the Electoral Commission and the council by Cllr Beer, he stated the newspaper was 'being used as a publicly-funded vehicle for the promotion of the local Conservative party'.
Maria Lucas, RBWM, head of legal services and returning officer for the by-election, said she has sought advice from the Electoral Commission, which said the election must continue.
She added: "The commission said it was unclear whether the public could be unduly influenced by Around the Royal Borough. The council newspaper for residents does not mention parties by name and only refers to individual councillors acting in their official roles within the authority. I have taken this opportunity to write to all officers to remind them of their responsibilities before a by-election."
An election leaflet has also caused problems for the Tories, as it states Mr Collins lives in Dedworth Road, when in actual fact he lives in Maidenhead Road. Mr Collins, 63, said 'it was a mistake in the printing'.
Mr Collins is up against West Windsor Residents Association chairman Wisdom Da Costa, standing as an independent, and Peter Shearman, representing the Labour party.
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