Accountability
Open letter to South Tyneside Independent Alliance councillors
Readers may recall my question three days ago regarding the apparent failure of the South Tyneside Independent Alliance group of councillors to register themselves with the Electoral Commission. Spurred on by Mr. Monkey’s suggestion (I can sympathise, I too would want to remain secretive about my identity after some of the things he’s written) I have taken the liberty of asking our Independent councillors in South Tyneside just when they intend to put the matter right.
Here is the text of the email which I have sent to each of them, I’m eagerly awaiting a positive response from either their Leader, Cllr. Jane Bradley or their Deputy Leader, Cllr. Ahmed Khan.
Dear Councillors,
there are many many independent non aligned non political groups of councillors operating in councils throughout England and Wales, as revealed in this post in my blog.
I am as keen as you are for more openness and accountability in local government, and believe that transparency is a great asset to local representatives, the public deserves access to information that helps to inform and educate and give a clearer insight to the workings and machinations of local councils and councillors.
I am therefore disappointed that so far the South Tyneside Independents have not decided to register themselves with the Electoral Commission, the appropriate body that regulates and guides much of our democratic process.
Can you explain why this is so? Better still after more than two years of campaigning, can the South Tyneside Independent group of councillors give a firm committment to registration with the Electoral Commission and let us know when the first set of accounts will be lodged with the Electoral Commission, as has previously been accomplished by the South Tyneside Progressives?
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[...] Original post by curly [...]
Curly’s Corner Shop
September 5, 2008 at 10:29 am
[...] and general rabble rousing, he has decided to ask the Indy Alliance a few pertinent questions, CLICK HERE for [...]
Independent Alliance Put on The Spot « MR MONKEY
September 6, 2008 at 9:28 am
I obviously don’t know the local story, but we have a local alliance in the Morley area of Leeds, known as the Morley Borough Independents. They only decided to register as a political party once there were more than a certain number as they became entitled to secretarial support and office space as a registered political party, something an Independent Councillor was not entitled to (unless they were on the executive). The other benefit it gave them was a brand for marketing purposes but they were under no compulsion to do so.
Once they became a party though, they had to abide by electoral law regarding accounts, imprints on the leaflets & so on.
Ian Grey
September 6, 2008 at 1:57 pm
[...] no great surprise that not a single South Tyneside Independent councillor has deemed it fit to respond to my email asking when they are going to commit themselves to registering with the Electora…, as hundreds of other independent groupings have. They are building a wall of silence and hiding [...]
The wall of silence « Curly’s Corner Shop, the blog!
September 9, 2008 at 10:11 am
[...] no great surprise that not a single South Tyneside Independent councillor has deemed it fit to respond to my email asking when they are going to commit themselves to registering with the Electora…, as hundreds of other independent groupings have. They are building a wall of silence and hiding [...]
Curly’s Corner Shop
September 9, 2008 at 1:00 pm
[...] are one or two councillors who don’t turn up to meetings as often as you do. One day you might all get around to telling the Electoral Commission about your existence, instead of keeping so quiet about it! I believe in [...]
What is the limit of Cllr. Khan’s ambitions? « Curly’s Corner Shop, the blog!
May 3, 2009 at 12:59 pm
[...] Independent Alliance had not registered themselves with the Commission, like those above, and a few days later I wrote this email to every one of the group of South Tyneside councillors: Dear [...]
Electoral Commission to probe South Tyneside Independents « Curly’s Corner Shop, the blog!
February 20, 2010 at 11:25 am