An open letter from the Mayor of Salford has urged the government to ban a “bizarre” and “detrimental loophole” which allowed a Salford councillor to stand for election in the Cotswolds.
Addressed to Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, the letter from City Mayor, Paul Dennett, and Rebecca Long-Bailey MP requests an “urgent” review and reform of local election law.
The letter comes after Ordsall Liberal Democrats councillor Chris Twells was found to be running for candidacy in the Cotswold’s Tetbury with Upton ward, having been elected just last year (2022) to serve residents in Salford.
In a letter addressed the the councillor, Mayor Dennett slammed Twells’ “chronically poor” attendance at council meetings, turning up to only 36 per cent of those expected.
MP Long-Bailey and Mayor Dennett’s letter read: “We are sure you would agree representing council council wards 160 miles apart would to any reasonable person seem impossible.
“We also have no doubt that many constituents in the Ordsall ward would be extremely concerned that they would no longer be served adequately should the additional Cotswolds council candidacy be successful at the upcoming local election.
“We believe that the use of multiple candidate addresses and candidates standing across multiple council seats at the same time is unacceptable, would risk an erosion of faith in democracy and could limit significantly the service provided to the constituents of affected ‘dual role’ wards.”
In response to the claims from Mayor Dennett’s previous letter, John Grant, chair of Salford Liberal Democrats, said: “[Councillor Twells] is not standing in elections in both authorities. He was elected a year ago in Ordsall ward in Salford. He, like most other working age councillors needs to earn a living as well as his responsibilities as a member of the city council for which he gets expenses.
“This hybrid pattern of working means that some of the time he is working outside Salford but he returns to his home in Salford and can deal with casework which comes from local residents wherever he is. His particular expertise is in running election campaigns which is what he doing just now in the Cotswolds where he is a candidate.”
A Lib Dem spokesperson continued: “Chris has a flat in Salford where he lives, is a councillor and works hard for his local community. His job means that he also lives in the Cotswolds, where he has decided to stand for election in May.”
Cllr Twells has contested four elections for the Lib Dems across England and Wales, including York, Alyn and Deeside, Ordsall, and now Tetbury with Upton.
Cllr Twells is yet to respond to either of Mayor Dennett’s letter.
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