An awkward moment

Will there be red faces?

Way back in 1980 when I was elected to South Tyneside Council in the Beacon and Bents ward I remember having to go to South Shields Town Hall with my “sponsoring” member to meet the Council solicitor and Returning Officer to make an Oath of Allegiance to the Queen and sign a big official register before being able to take my seat. I wonder if this procedure still happens?

The late Maurice Piggott was my sponsor and the late Leonard Rumney was the Council Solicitor at the time and I recall scribbling my usual illegible signature in the book, Mr. Rumney had a puzzled look on his face and said:

“Well now that you’ve proved that my pen works, could you write your name next to that please?”

The new Independent councillor for Beacon and Bents, Ahmed Khan, will possibly have to go through this same procedure with Mr. Brian T. Scott, the Returning Officer for South Tyneside. Readers will recall that Mr. Scott and Mr. Khan have both had to endure court cases over the result of last year’s election in the Beacon and Bents ward, that Mr. Scott found himself making an apology over losing 18 ballot boxes, and Mr. Khan publicly called for Mr. Scott’s resignation.

Oh to be a fly on the wall. I wonder if there will be any red faces?

With both gentlemen now having to build some sort of working relationship I hope one of them can conjure up a light hearted ice breaker when they meet, otherwise there may be an awkward moment!

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