Putney

[aargauer]

Jul 18, 2024 12:55:19 GMT elinorhelyn said:

Regardless of the spreadsheet errors, the margin of victory in Putney and Battersea tells us the Tories have further to fall in Wandsworth come 2026.

Despite just losing West Putney?

[johnloony]

Jul 18, 2024 20:08:39 GMT batman said:

I remember it well. He ranted at Goldsmith but it was ill-directed. Goldsmith polled only about 1500 but Mellor lost by about twice that amount, so it was the wrong target. Goldsmith looked very ill in the pictures, and indeed he was - he was dead only a few weeks later.

Mellor wasn’t being a “sore loser” in the sense of blaming Goldsmith for his defeat (i.e. blaming him for splitting the vote); Mellor was more delighted at the poor result for Goldsmith than he was disappointed about his own defeat.

[xenon]

You'd think for an error of this magnitude the Returning Officer should be immediately relieved of their position, but it does rather complicate things when the RO is also the Chief Executive of the council and as such would lose a job that they might execute perfectly well 364 days a year due to shortcomings in another they only hold for one. Still not a great look however...

[elinorhelyn]

Jul 18, 2024 20:28:16 GMT aargauer said:

Jul 18, 2024 12:55:19 GMT elinorhelyn said:

Regardless of the spreadsheet errors, the margin of victory in Putney and Battersea tells us the Tories have further to fall in Wandsworth come 2026.

Despite just losing West Putney?

One off election based on contentious local issue.

[batman]

It’s an issue in a number of wards to varying degrees though, concerning building new council housing.

[nobodyimportant]

What would happen if omitted votes were discovered that meant that a party no longer met the threshold to keep their deposit in the seat? Would they be compelled to pay it back again?

[casualobserver]

Jul 18, 2024 23:08:19 GMT xenon said:

You'd think for an error of this magnitude the Returning Officer should be immediately relieved of their position, but it does rather complicate things when the RO is also the Chief Executive of the council and as such would lose a job that they might execute perfectly well 364 days a year due to shortcomings in another they only hold for one. Still not a great look however...

www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-july-2024/chief-executive-of-richmond-and-wandsworth-councils-to-step-down/#:~:text=CEO%20Mike%20Jackson%20said%2C&text=The%20role%20and%20work%20for,thriving%20places%20with%20huge%20potential.

[xenon]

I'm glad someone's taken responsibility, but if you're being forced out because of a cock-up then you could at least have the decency to apologise for it in your resignation statement.

Also, why was he CEO of both Richmond and Wandsworth? I could understand if it were two smallish district councils, but if I lived in either of these boroughs I would be concerned that my council's senior leadership did not have its full and undivided attention on my interests. Maybe one of our local correspondents can elaborate?

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Richmond and Wandsworth share a lot of back office staff - a shared staffing arrangement started in 2016.