The East London Advertiser reports that Ala Uddin has been selected as Labour’s candidate for the likely by-election in the Spitalfields and Banglatown ward. We’ll find out today or tomorrow if this is going ahead when we learn whether benefit fraudster Shelina Ak(h)tar is appealing her sentence.
This means that the by-election would be a straight fight between Uddin (a former Labour councillor and council deputy leader in 1998 – and a leading member of the historic squatting movement of the Seventies) and Lutfur’s man Gulam Robbani. I understand that Respect’s Abjol Miah, who had been keen to stand, has been persuaded not to because he realises he would split the anti-Labour vote and that “Lutfur needs to beat Labour”.
This then throws up a very interesting question of when the by-election will be held. As I mentioned here last month, Lutfur would ideally like it held on a different day to the City Hall elections on May 3 when he will be going around the borough telling people to vote for Labour’s Ken Livingstone. He would find it slightly tricky to also tell people that day to vote against Labour in Spitalfields.
Many believe Lutfur would want the by-election the week before on April 26 but would he dare waste thousands of pounds of public money just for an overtly political poll? I’m not sure even he would do that.
However, let’s look at the process for calling the by-election. Shelina was sentenced on February 6. She has 28 days in which to appeal: if she doesn’t, she is disqualified. But when does that 28 days end? Is it today, March 5, or tomorrow? I ask this because it is crucial for when the by-election can be held.
Under the Local Government Act, once the seat becomes vacant (today or tomorrow), a “notice of vacancy” is then required to be delivered to the chief executive by two electors in the borough, asking for an election to be held.
The returning officer will set the date of the by-election and it must be within 35 days of receipt of this “notice”. Saturdays, Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a bank holiday and a day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning are excluded form the 35 days.
So, get out your diaries. Start counting 35 working days from tomorrow and you see that the 35th day is actually Thursday, April 26. In order for there to be a by-election on May 3, the signed notice would have to be delivered a week tomorrow at the earliest.
Remember also, the legislation states “within” 35 days of any notice. In theory, the by-election could also be held (just about) on April 12 or April 19.
In any case, can Lutfur control what two electors might do off their own back? He could just say it had nothing to do with him.
One last thing: at some point Ken Livingstone will no doubt come to Tower Hamlets to campaign. I wonder who he will urge people to vote for if asked: Labour, or Lutfur’s man? Not a very convenient by-election this one, is it.
Trial by Jeory 
[…] a by-election in Spitalfields, Trial by Jeory considers the […]
Isn’t Richard MacMillan tossing his hat into the ring for the Lib Dems?
Doesn’t The Returning Officer run the elections any more?
It would be a very brave Returning Officer who wasted money on a separate election at a time of such financial stringency.
Doesn’t The Standards Committee (or whatever) need to meet? It needs to consider a formal agenda item:
1) identifying what has happened re offence, conviction and sentence
2) observing what the Council’s own constitution says about such matters and
3) recommending – as a matter of protocol – the immediate termination of office for Cllr Shelina Ak(h)tar.
The vote also needs to be taken by Councillors and recorded by Officers – otherwise they could just get rid of any old Councillor any time they liked! (Perish the thought! )
That takes time – not least because all such meetings have a requirement about the publication of agendas to the public!
Try counting again…….
Plus a query to the Returning Officer would seem to be in order.
The returning officer has NO choice. He, in this case, has to hold the by-election within 25 to 35 days from the time two electors write in to call for the election. The law has to be followed. So it’s not about being brave, it’s about acting in a way that doesn’t leave the authority open to challenge which could cost a hell of a lot more!
I don’t agree with this analysis at all, Ted.
Lutfur is not concerned with Spitalfields. He’s overwhelmingly concerned with Ken Livingstone. If Ken wins then Lutfur and the others return to the Labour Party in glory. If Ken loses then Lutfur can apply to come back and it’s highly likely that he would be accepted, but he wouldn’t be able to gloat to his adversaries.
Lutfur is unlikely to be campaigning against the Labour candidate right now.
Ken Livingstone would campaign for the Labour council candidate. It’s plain silly for Ted to “wonder” who he would back.
The more interesting fact is that Tower Hamlets Labour’s General Committee voted for their nominations to the NEC last Thursday. Ken Livingstone was one of the six nominations. That means that although the executive is 100% dominated by the anti-Lutfur slate, the GC clearly doesn’t agree with them.
If LR is not concerned, then there won’t be any Lutfur Independent candidate will there…and Abjol Miah will stand, won’t he…?
You’re wrong Dan. Lutfur is supporting Gulam Robbani against Labour in Spitalfields. His support for Ken is secondary to his desire to give his ex colleagues in the Labour Party a bloody nose.
You’re also wrong on the NEC. Ken L came fifth out of 6 in the GC vote, pretty poor for the only person with significant name recognition.
who were the other five (in order)?
Dan,
I thought one of the points at issue here was the number of ‘Lutfur-ite’ councillors were around to support Lutfur in his various decision-making decisions. As I understand it, he doesn’t quite have a majority, and losing a Lutfur-ite position to labour would adversely affect his powerbase.
Lutfur doesn’t need a majority. As mayor, he is the majority. He would like to have more councillors to fill various posts, and to campaign for him if he runs next time, but he doesn’t need their votes.
This is also wrong. lutfur needs a third of cllrs to be able to have his own budget and block constitutional changes. He’s on the verge of that now. Losing this seat would be a significant step back.
Alibor Chowdhury was campaigning in Watney Market on Saturday. Is that because they’re throwing their limited resources into Banglatown?
What matters is if Lutfur doesn’t come back into Labour. Then, if he wants his party to become established, he’ll need a whole bunch of candidates to stand across the borough. Right now is not a good time to refuse someone who would like to be one of those candidates.
Wrong again. Of course Alibor is visible in his own ward, but Lutfur’s organisational resources are currently focussed on Spitalfields.
I’ve been campaigning with Ala before he seems nice enough very hot on political philosophy which is good considering we have lots of a-political Cllrs. It’s nice to come across somebody who believes in something. Would have been nice to have a woman but i’ve moaned about that before.
I do think it’s a little strange that the ELA has written up that piece for a ‘prospective’ candidate there isn’t a vacancy yet. Labour selects a candiate is that news ? I think our local newspapers / media are absolutely obsessed with THLP. It’s like nobody else exists very odd.
The Greens have selected a candidate and I think the Conservatives have too and they didn’t get any write up etc. It would be nice to get some coverage on what other parties are doing on here also but perhaps they know how to conduct themselves and don’t leak stuf. Meh.
Not sure about the numbers, but concerned knows enough to show how worried they are.
It split equally between left and right.
Ellie Reeves, Luke Ackhurst, Florence Nosegby,
Ann Black, Jo Baxter, Ken Livingstone,
That’s not an equal split Dan. Only two on that list are left slate, three Progress slate, one independent.
Gulam’s a good guy. Snappy dresser and ample sense of humour. More importantly, he’s a former vice-chair of Tower Hamlets Labour Party and knows every corner of that ward. Definitely cabinet material.
I didn’t say Jo was on a slate. However, I will point out that her front room bookshelf has 3 biographies of Gordon Brown and only 1 of Tony Blair. A vote for Jo is a vote for Ed Balls. Ed Balls is an ally of Ken Livingstone and both are on the left of the party.
Therefore, it was split equally left and right.
Ed Balls is a Fabianite with a pragmatic working relationship with Livingstone. His political operation is made up of the old right. Gordon Brown was one of the founding fathers of New Labour, and supported the expulsion of Militant. Johanna is in the moderate mainstream of the party.
LOL ROFL PMSL
LOL. I think. Not quite acronym savvy enough to understand ROFL PMSL though.
His a good dresser with not much intelligence. The guy was pushed out from his previous job in Tower Hamlets for being useless and a job that he got fixed by his older brother Mortuza.
However I definitely agree with you that he is Lutfur’s cabinet material, he will fit right in there with the other clowns.
Calm down, dear! You are not hated or over looked. Your time will come.
About the previous job thing: if I recall correctly you put in a complaint to the Chief Exec when he got the advisor post and no action was taken
When exactly was Robbani vice-chair of Tower Hamlets Labour Party Steve? Ceratinly not in the many years I was chair.
^ @Steve but not Driscoll Do you think Mr Mortuza will back the labour candidate? It would have made good political sense to have a conversation with him considering how influential he is.
Isn’t Ghulam Mortuza the Chair of SPB branch LP? He was last time I cared to check….or is that a different person?
I don’t think Ala Uddin is a strong candidate and will no doubt lose, lucky for Robbani. Also Lutfur has enough votes in the Spitalfields ward and in the previous election received over 500 postal votes, now all these votes will be transferred to Robbani. I say Robbani should put up his feet and relax.
I wonder how convicted fraudster Shelina Ak(h)tar will be able to hold her head up in public after going to prison AND wringing every last second out of her 28 days before she decides whether or not to appeal her sentence – and is automatically disqualified from being a councillor if she does not.
Six questions:
1) Is she in prison already? If not, why not?
2) Can a councillor in prison claim allowance as a councillor?
3) Has she repaid all the money she stole?
4) Can the Council ask her to repay all the allowances she claimed as a Councillor from the point at which she stopped doing any work for constituents?
5) Is she now disqualified? (She was convicted on 6th February and it’s now 6th March).
6) Should EEL not have given a much more prominent position and banner headline to the news of her conviction – for the second time – to discourage others from doing the same thing? Granted the front page story deserved all the space it got. However the prominence and position very much suggests a Council desperately trying to bury a “bad news” story about one of its own.
Ghulam Mortuza is the Current Chair of SPB, The elder brother of Gulam Rabbani.
Heard that 7 candidates were interviewed, and none of the early runners at THLP stood from Spitalfields, amir Hussain or Tarik Khan, That seems very strange, do they know somethinng that we dont.
Shame about Tarik Khan. He is involved in the new Spitalfields Community Group which is a true community group – and riding high, having just helped defeat the plan to bulldoze Spitalfields Markets’ London Fruit and Wool Exchange. Although the fight is not yet over.
What is Ala Uddin’s position on this controversial plan and ongoing fight? THLP are saying he is a ‘community activist’…so he should get active on this as there are hundreds of votes to be gained from the hundreds of objectors in Spitalfields if they see him taking a stand against the plan. Council planning officers recommended demolition but Councillors refused it this week:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/london/spitalfields-historic-wool-exchange-saved-7545205.html#.
Perhaps Tarik Khan should brief Ala Uddin on the ongoing SCG petition. And maybe sign it:
http://www.change.org/petitions/petition-against-exemplar-s-plans-for-the-fruit-and-wool-exchange-eradication-of-historic-dorset-street-demolition-of-the-gun-pub-and-barclays-bank
And have a look at the history on the Save the London Fruit and Wool Exchange Facebook page :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-The-London-Fruit-and-Wool-Exchange-1929/383535838324130
Richard Macmillan, the Lib Dem candidate, registered to speak in objection at the planning committee. Unfortunately the speaker’s slots were already taken.
Shelina Akhtar has not Appealed, and THBC confirm today (8 March) that she is now officially disqualified from serving as a Cllr. The returning officer has issued notification to this effect so the due process now begins to schedule a bi-election.
@ Stewart Rayment
Many thanks for that. Lib Dem Richard Macmillan should now accrue all those votes.
What say the other candidates on the Exchange demolition (and other SBT planning issues)…anyone know?
I haven’t any other immediate news about Spitalfields Market, but since I’m usually on the loosing side of planning applications, I was pleased to receive notification this morning that the 9 storey hotel on Trinity Square (by the Tower Hill tube) has been refused. This is more a matter of the quality of the building I think, and there were good points like lift access to the underground station platforms, but such a sensative site demands the best.
Looks as though Ala Uddin, the Labour candidate, has now declared his opposition to the demolition of the Exchange, Gun and Bank buildings. This is a comment on the online petition:
Ala Uddin
4 days ago
This is an excellent campaign. I am glad Labour councillors on the council’s Strategic Development Committee rejected Exemplar’s planning application to destroy this historic building, local pub and bank. We must continue our fight to protect the heritage of Spitalfields.
If this is the same Ala Uddin, he has made the right move for Spitalfields as this historic Market building must not be destroyed. Richard Macmillan for the Lib Dems, also. So that leaves Mr Robbani….and are there Conservative and Green candidates?
I see from the latest council paper that the by-election is due to take place on 19th April.
I wonder whether this piece of council efficiency in spending will be mentioned to the Local Govt Chronicle judging panel which has (according to the same paper) shortlisted TH Council for an award for efficiency.
PS I do know that Local Govt Chronicle awards are self-nominations – councils can pick what to submit themselves for and write their own nominations although the shortlisting is another matter.
Not entirely fair, as the returning officers hands are tied as to the timing of the by-election. The positive aspect of the 19th April is that the outcome is less likely to be determined by the Boris-Brian-Ken fight.
So, Stewart, as you seem to be a legal expert. Can you explain why ROs around London have used their discretion to hold byelections on the same day as the GLA/London MAyoral elections?
Which ones? That’s interesting.
I suspect they could have put that argument quite successfully, but have chosen to go by the rules… interesting. I don’t know chapter and verse on this, but I have some recollection that if a vacancy occurs by death, for example, within four months of an impending election, the returning officer need not call an election (unless presumably someone else does). This may be custom rather than practice.
The ERO doesn’t have complete discretion. In the case of a local government byelection they can choose a polling day up to 35 days after the election has been called. Where a councillor dies or resigns, it is up to two electors to trigger the byelection, but where a councillor is disqualified, the calling of the byelection is automatic. So the ERO couldn’t hold the byelection longer than 35 (working) days after 6 March, which rules out combining it with the GLA elections.
There are no current London byelections called for 3 May. There are two where the sitting councillor hasn’t formally resigned yet but which are expected to happen on 3 May (Hackney Central and Camden Town).
A friend of mine is standing in a by election in Wandworth I think I’m right in saying they’ve got the lowest council tax in the country and are known for efficiency/receive awards for prudence (underspend depending on your view). That election will be taking place on the 29th of March which isn’t really cost effective…
A bill amendment might be a good idea; it’s a bit of a waste of money and is blatantly political. More than that – the children in SBT will have to lose out on a extra day of school which doesn’t really sync with Mayor Rahmans stress on the importance of education.
Ted
There has been much political talk so far on candidates. I would suggest the issue runs deeper than who runs.
To start with, it’s generally known that Tower Hamlets Labour Party has become an incubator for an Independent alliance of Lutfur Rahman supporters.
The most recent defections concern 5 Labour Councillors who voted against their party on electoral review, openly supporting the recommendations of Lutfur Rahman. That (Labour) Cllr’s can effectively revoke their duty and allegiance to a political Party, to join an alliance with, let’s be frank, an unknown agenda, will incline many to think twice before voting Labour, let alone Independent.
And this question of integrity – for that’s really what it come down to – goes further than Council elections. It has to be of grave concern to (potential) Labour voters in the forthcoming Mayoral election on 3 May, that Ken Livingstone publicly supported Lutfur Rahman’s 2010 challenge for Executive Mayor over his own party’s candidate. How can we trust Livingstone, or for that matter any Labour candidate running for the Spitalfields by-Election?
As for the by-election, there are further concerns on transparency and costs. In view of the imminent changes to Cllr numbers brought about by the electoral review, wouldn’t it relevant to the electorate to know that the candidate they may elect as a third replacement Cllr, may well be removed as a result of possible reduction in Cllr numbers; even the mayor is proposing they be reduced by 6. Could one of these be from the Spitalfields and Banglatown Ward? Save (our) money and wait for the result of the view, which will include Ward boundaries as well and Cllr numbers. The cost of replacing a Cllr who could be out of a job before he/she claims their first allowance is ludicrous. And lets inject some more rational advice into timing of the election. Regardless of the so called deadline for holding a by-election, common sense – rarely applied by bureaucrats – surely resolves that it will be vastly less expensive if would could combine the by-election with the 3 May Mayoral election.
It’s common sense – isn’t it? just as knowing that today’s Labour Cllr may become tomorrows Independent..
Nomouse
As the Strategic Development Committee comprises only Labour and Conservative Cllrs, surely we just need to be assured that both Parties have a clear position on this Planning Application? Seemingly they do, but maybe its worth checking this with Peter Golds and Joshua Peck.
If Councillor Khales Uddin Ahmed (Labour) – Bromley by Bow, had arrived at the meeting on time his vote would have taken the tally to 6 against (instead of 5) and Nil for. The stronger the objection base the better.
The Decision notes:
‘The Committee indicated that they were minded to refuse the planning application because of Members’ concerns in connection with:
• The loss of employment uses
• The lack of any on-site social housing development in the proposed scheme
• The loss to the local environment and heritage that would arise from the proposed demolition of the Gun public house historic building.’
The crux issue is going to be defending ‘heritage’ which to a developer is a subjective term carrying little currency in the modern world of property valuation. A mind set it would seem Tower Hamlets Planners share. I’m actually unclear why only the Gun is mentioned and not the Fruit and Wool Exch and Bank. If retaining only the fascia of the Exch and Bank is seen to be acceptable, I for one would object as the Exch building has significant historic and architectural value.
Suggest further discussions with Peter and Joshua