Electors are being bombarded with literature by election candidates who are trying to establish a “local” image.
The trend was started by the London based Labour parliamentary candidate who fell over herself to issue statements saying that she was a York resident. This claim appeared to be based on on her having bought a property in the City as recently as last December.
“Wanderin Joe” takes root
Not to be outdone, our old friend Joe “wandering star” Riches has now issued a leaflet claiming he is rooted in the York Outer constituency (which he hopes to represent in parliament).
Wanderin Joe achieved fame in 2011 by having four “local” contact addresses in the space of 18 months.
The Tories have been more open in admitting that their York central candidate is London based.
The LibDem candidate, Nick Love, has lived in York since the 1980s.
Nor are local election candidates immune to the “lets try to be local” urge.
To be fair, living in the Council ward that you hope to represent is an important qualification.
Councillors have a key role in identifying and addressing local issues. They are better able to do so if they experience the same issues in the course of their everyday lives.
They are also better placed to check public service standards on a regular and methodical basis. Residents don’t want to be left with remote Councillors in times of, for example, heavy snow fall.
In Westfield only one of the Labour candidates lives in the ward and then for less than a year. Her two colleagues live miles away.
One set of candidates do pass the “local” test with flying colours.
The Westfield LibDem team all live in the ward and have done for decades.
