Calamity-prone Camden Lib Dems have found themselves in hot water after it was revealed that one of their councillors for Kentish Town ward has moved to Arizona, U.S.A. to study for a graduate degree.Rumours from the general public had been circulating about the departure of an unnamed Camden councillor since early August, but little was known until Cllr. Thompson's face appeared on the website of the Department of Political Science of Arizona University, where he now resides.
According to the Ham&High, who broke this story, the Lib Dems intend to tough it out, as legally councillors only have to attend a full council meeting once every six months. But residents are concerned that Thompson might not be as available as a councillor who actually lived in the ward, borough or country!
The Lib Dem leader of the council Keith Moffitt says that the revelation of Cllr. Thompson's movements only came to his attention last week.
Personally, I find this hard to believe. A source contacting a Labour councillor last week indicated that Thompson had taken advice from a very senior Camden Liberal Democrat - so this must have been known in the ranks.
If it was known, then there are wider questions. As Paul Waugh blogs in the Standard, the Lib Dems could be afraid of a by-election against a strong Labour and Green vote.
Interestingly, if the Liberal Democrats had known before then the by election could have been fought at the same time as the current Hampstead Town by election (25th September). This would have saved the taxpayer money by holding both on the same day.
Presumably the Lib Dem political calculation was not to fight two close contests at the same time.
We shall see how this develops.
0 comments:
Post a Comment