Tory councillor avoids by-election after attending first meeting in just under six months
News / Thu 8th Jun 2023 at 12:30pm
A BY-ELECTION has been avoided in Harlow as a Tory councillor “attended” his first meeting in just under six months.
Great Parndon councillor Steve Le May had not appeared at any meetings since December 15th, 2022.
The Planning Committee meeting of Wednesday June 7th was his last chance to avoid a by-election.
Councillor Le May is not on the planning committee and did not take part in the meeting but sat in the public gallery for a while and then left.
YH understands that this counts as attendance.
Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 states that a member of a local authority loses office if they do not attend a meeting at least once in any six-month period.
Councillor Le May, like all 33 councillors will be up for re-election in May 2024.
Rooney
2023-06-08 12:50:07
Can't even be bothered to turn-up to meetings that are literally his job, but yeah, sure, keep voting them in, Harlow.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-06-08 13:00:25
I think residents in the Great Parndon Ward who voted for Mr LeMay at the election of 2022 will be dismayed to hear that he has not attended any meetings for almost six months, indeed his appearance at the meeting was only a token appearance to avoid a by-election. Also, he resigned (or was sacked) from his post as a Portfolio holder just months after being appointed. Clearly he is not representing voters in the Ward at the numerous meetings that have taken place since 15 December, it is somewhat ironic that I as the Harlow Alliance candidate who stood against Mr LeMay in 2022 have attended more meetings than he has. As is often said by residents, you only see Councillors when an election is about to take place. I would suggest that in this case unless absence is due to illness, Cllr May does the decent thing and call it a day.
Asad P
2023-06-08 13:05:23
What a good job we have this requirement, but he was only in the public gallery for a while and then left! Thank you to those who 'work' for the public good. Watch out because there are at least four more who barely 'serve' us - there is a full election next year.
Mr T J Daniels
2023-06-08 13:20:01
Certainly looks like reaping the benefits of being a non existent councilor
Luke Burton
2023-06-08 13:41:31
Must be fantastic being in local government. Lavish expenses, a title, gold chains, people waiting on you, and doffing their cap. Seems like you can get all that without doing any of the work as well. Kids, if you want an easy career, being an influencer isn't the way to go - being in local government is.
Mark
2023-06-08 15:59:19
If some Conservatives can't be bothered to turn up, and those that do spend all their time resigning and sacking each other, then it's time to boot them all out. Roll on the local elections next May when we can say goodbye to each and every one of them.
Mark Gough
2023-06-08 16:01:23
Luke Burton - what do you call lavish expenses? Gold chains are only for Council Chairs. Who do they have waiting on them? Who doffs their cap to them? Local Councillors get about £5k a year in Harlow. Even the Leader only gets about £12-13k. To get that you have about 3,500 - 4,500 doors to knock on and deliver leaflets to. This after normally having done a day job first. Meetings often go on til 10pm or later! If you think it's easy my friend, give it a try! Each of the eleven new wards will be after Councillors in May 2024, so all parties want Candidates! Come join Reform UK and stand for us! Happy to chat to you! And anyone else reading this who cares about our town! Mark Gough - Reform UK Harlow
Nicholas Taylor
2023-06-08 16:17:02
Luke, being a Councillor is not a career and for the time spent being one the allowances are not good. If it was good to be a Councillor there would be a queue to sign up but there never is. I would extend the same opportunity to you and any reader as Mark Gough has, but come and join the Harlow Alliance Party, take a look at our website. Nicholas Taylor, Leader of the Harlow Alliance Party
Alderman Durcan
2023-06-08 16:47:10
Typical Tory ,I just hope he will donate his hard earned council allowance to the Harlow food bank .
View from Afar
2023-06-08 17:33:21
He should resign after making that token gesture of turning up albeit sitting in the public gallery. If Dan Swords had any guts he’d sack him.
Adam
2023-06-08 17:42:40
Nicholas Taylor - it is for some look at Andrew Johnson.
Peter Henegan
2023-06-08 17:44:21
It would be interesting to hear from Cllr Le May why he has not attended
Nicholas Taylor
2023-06-08 18:06:09
Alderman Durcan, hardly earned, he has done nothing for six months. Adam, Andrew Johnson's allowance was £6,804 in 2022/23. Not a lot in the scheme of things bearing in mind the responsibilities and time spent reading reports, chairing meetings and civic duties. I look forward to seeing you on a ballot paper next May!
Pedro
2023-06-08 19:38:48
He should resign and let someone who actually wants to help residents take over.
adam
2023-06-08 20:08:10
Nicholas I will not be standing for election, government is the problem and councillors like Andrew who closed playgrounds in the pandemic (sorry scamdemic) are the type we can do without. He has been elected a politician far to long was my point we need term limits. The solution to life's problems is not more government or more rules and regulations but less government, less interference in everyday life, more self reliance. Or we could vote for more nimbyism with the Harlow allowance party.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-06-09 07:57:41
Problem is Adam, there are less and less younger people willing to enter politics for all sorts of reasons and those reasons are getting bigger. You just have to look at the average age of Harlow's Councillors. We may well not agree on politics but I am afraid that until people start voting for a Party that takes a different view then nothing will ever change. Instead of complaining/commenting in private most of HAP'S members have decided to put their heads above the parapet and get together with like minded people to try and make changes. As for nimbyism, well we believe that what is being proposed for Harlow is going in the wrong direction, building the wrong type of homes in the wrong place, of the wrong tenure and of course not even in Harlow and even worse the decisions are being made Epping and Hertford.
Steve Crewe
2023-06-09 16:43:37
Two police officers from Harlow, were shown a threatening private message by Councillor Nick Churchill. He told them I sent it. Well I didn't. 18 months later the police, council or Nick Churchill can produce a copy of it. The day this happened,on video I said I rejected the verbal police warning I got. And still do. I want the police to prove it. I honestly think Nick Churchill must have made it up,to shut me up. Our council paid over £11,000 on solicitor's out of our taxes. I think the council backed the wrong person. So far it's cost me £5000 and 100s of emails, and still no one can prove I did it,or the threat t I was told I sent. What a joke.
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