The Labour Party is hoping to have six candidates elected to the Common Council of the City of London, the body which makes decisions on issues which arise from the work of the City Corporation’s various committees.
By tradition, members of the Common Council are independent and do not represent any political party. Today’s announcement follows ceremonies last week where Labour’s six candidates were each adopted as a Freeman of the City of London.
A Labour Party statement said the party intended “to take on the ‘good and the great’ of the City establishment”.
The elections for Common Councilmen will take place on 16 March 2009 with 100 seats up for grab across the City’s 25 wards.
External link: CityVote’09
Labour is putting up candidates in residential wards in the City of London elections, and is opposing not ‘rich bankers’, but for the most part, local residents. For example, in Portsoken Ward, where Kenyon himself is standing, 5 of the candidates live on local Social Housing Estates, one is the local dairyman, and the seventh is the Labour candidate, from outside the ward. If Labour really cared about local representative democracy within the City, as it claims to, then it would not be putting up a candidate in what is one of the most deprived wards in England, opposing the ‘little people’ who actually live in that ward. No-one has ’selected’ them to stand for election as common councilmen, they are standing to represent fellow inhabitants of the ward, and deal with very local issues. They may be good, these candidates in Portsoken ward, but they are certainly not the ‘good and the great’ of the City Establishment that Labour, as quoted in your article, claims to be opposing.
The Common Council is very open, committee meetings are open to the public, and there is no party whip – the City is run very well, as the councilmen vote according to their own consciences, on all matters. As a result, common sense prevails over doctrinaire positioning. The City is extremely well run as a result. It is simply not true that the Common Council is packed with bankers. Common Councilmen are drawn from all professional backgrounds.
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In order to comply with the spirit of electoral regulations, my imprint: Printed and promoted by Evan Philip Millner, 19b Petticoat Tower, City of London, E1 7 EF on behalf of himself as candidate.
I always laugh when I hear about New Labour “taking on the establishment”. After twelve years of quango breeding these people ARE the establishment – and during better times they weren’t shy of boasting about it.
Dear Evan Millner
In this election, people are being offered choice; something that was denied them in 2005 when all 100 seats on Common Council were last up for re-election.
City electoral law allows anyone who is on the Ward List and a Freeman to stand for election in any Ward, providing they have a valid proposer, seconder and three subscribers from the Ward list in which she/he wants to stand.
I secured that support in Portsoken Ward, just as my seven other Labour Party colleagues have in five other wards – three of which (readers of MayorWatch may be surprised to know) are not residential – but business wards.
Overall 73% of places on Common Council are being contested on 16 March, that includes all the seats in the predominantly residential wards, unlike in 2005 when only 20% of seats were contested, including those in just one residential ward – Cripplegate.
It is now up to electors in Portsoken and the other contested wards to decide how their interests are best represented.
With best wishes
Peter Kenyon
The Labour Party Candidate – Portsoken Ward
Promoted by Jacqueline A. Clarke on behalf of the City of London Labour Party both of
517 Willoughby House, EC2Y 8BN. Printed by Peter Kenyon of 361 Shakespeare Tower EC2Y 8NJ.