Residents' Association campaigners in Ruxley have come unstuck for misleading local electors about whether their candidate lives in Ruxley.
A by-election is to be held in Ruxley ward this coming Thursday, the 26th February. The last election showed it to be a very close ward with a Conservative and two Residents' Association councillors elected. The Residents' Associations are petrified of losing this seat to the Conservatives. Unfortunately this has led to them saying some less than factual things in their literature and on the doorstep.
In the one and only leaflet we have seen the Residents' Associations put out in a seven week long campaign the following statement is made:
"support your RA candidate so that we can continue to have our unique and independent council manned by councillors who live locally 365 days a year, constantly in touch with you and your needs."
All very compelling stuff. Of course what it omits to mention is the RA candidate, Michael Guest, lives no where near Ruxley. As shown on the nominating papers he lives in the college area of Epsom. Also no mention that the only candidate who lives in Ruxley (William Keen of Poplar Crescent, off the Chessington Road) and therefore the one who will actually be able to keep constantly in touch with local residents and their needs, is the Conservative candidate.
To make matters worse when canvassing for William on Saturday we found that Residents' Association activists had gone before us telling residents that their candidate is the only one who lives in the ward. So not only an untruth about their candidate, but now combined with an untruth about William Keen.
I've always thought campaigning in Epsom & Ewell to be relatively civilised, but then it occurred to me that this is happening because the Residents' Associations really are in a pickle. What is the point of the Residents' Associations contesting local elections if they cannot even find a local resident to stand for them? They have resorted instead to trapsing to the other side of the Borough to find their candidate. No wonder they are deluding themselves into thinking their candidate is local when he is not, otherwise their entire reason for being disappears.
Unfortunately no sooner had the Residents' Associations started playing this rather distasteful game the Liberals joined in. Their leaflet announced that they had chosen a "local candidate". Of course they had done no such thing and had instead selected someone living in Worcester Park.
A by-election is to be held in Ruxley ward this coming Thursday, the 26th February. The last election showed it to be a very close ward with a Conservative and two Residents' Association councillors elected. The Residents' Associations are petrified of losing this seat to the Conservatives. Unfortunately this has led to them saying some less than factual things in their literature and on the doorstep.
In the one and only leaflet we have seen the Residents' Associations put out in a seven week long campaign the following statement is made:
"support your RA candidate so that we can continue to have our unique and independent council manned by councillors who live locally 365 days a year, constantly in touch with you and your needs."
All very compelling stuff. Of course what it omits to mention is the RA candidate, Michael Guest, lives no where near Ruxley. As shown on the nominating papers he lives in the college area of Epsom. Also no mention that the only candidate who lives in Ruxley (William Keen of Poplar Crescent, off the Chessington Road) and therefore the one who will actually be able to keep constantly in touch with local residents and their needs, is the Conservative candidate.
To make matters worse when canvassing for William on Saturday we found that Residents' Association activists had gone before us telling residents that their candidate is the only one who lives in the ward. So not only an untruth about their candidate, but now combined with an untruth about William Keen.
I've always thought campaigning in Epsom & Ewell to be relatively civilised, but then it occurred to me that this is happening because the Residents' Associations really are in a pickle. What is the point of the Residents' Associations contesting local elections if they cannot even find a local resident to stand for them? They have resorted instead to trapsing to the other side of the Borough to find their candidate. No wonder they are deluding themselves into thinking their candidate is local when he is not, otherwise their entire reason for being disappears.
Unfortunately no sooner had the Residents' Associations started playing this rather distasteful game the Liberals joined in. Their leaflet announced that they had chosen a "local candidate". Of course they had done no such thing and had instead selected someone living in Worcester Park.
Ask anyone in Ruxley whether the Worcester Park or the college area of Epsom are local and they will say no, but hey the Residents' Associations and the Liberals have got an election to fight so what do they care. Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
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