WALTHAM FOREST: Election blunder confirmed (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WALTHAM FOREST: Election blunder confirmed

11:39am Wednesday 8th September 2010 in

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THE Liberal Democrats have won an election recount and deposed a Labour councillor after it was confirmed that the council wrongly gave 1,000 extra votes to a candidate.

The recount of the local election poll for High Street Ward, in Walthamstow, was held after an appeal by the Lib Dems to the Royal Courts of Justice.

Lib Dem nominee Mahmood Hussain, 54, is now the new councillor for the ward, at the expense of Labour's Steve Terry.

Nigel Louth, a member of the public who works for the Office of National Statistics, spotted the mistake while checking the results of the poll online back in May.

He realised that the total number of votes was higher than was actually possible, considering the number of eligible voters in the ward.

Waltham Forest Council’s returning officer at the time, former chief executive Andrew Kilburn, previously said that tiredness could have been to blame for any errors.

Lib Dem leader Cllr Bob Sullivan said the outcome of the recount raised questions about the validity of other election results in the borough.

The legal action is believed to have cost his party at least £15,000 in costs, although they are hoping some of this will be paid by the council.

Mahmood Hussain, of Maude Terrace in Walthamstow, said: "It is an honour to be elected to serve the residents of High Street ward.

"I will do all I can to stand up for the interests of local people and make sure that their needs are not ignored by the Labour council.

"There are lots of issues to take up, including the future of the EMD cinema, looking after Walthamstow market and local services and pressing Labour to come clean on its plans for the Arcade site.

"I will work with residents to improve safety and security in the area and to protect and improve the local environment."

Liberal Democrat group leader, Bob Sullivan, added: "I am delighted to welcome Mahmood Hussain to the Liberal Democrat Group on the council.

"At last the people of High Street ward have the councillors that they voted for. The council's mistake at the count should never have happened.

"It has cost local taxpayers thousands of pounds in legal fees and deprived local residents of the representatives they voted for."

Steve Terry congratulated Cllr Hussain on his victory, but also used the opportunity to launch an attack on the Lib Dems.

He said: “It has been a great honour to serve the residents of High Street over the past five months and I would like to thank those who voted Labour on May 6 in the local and general elections. While I congratulate Mr Hussain, High Street residents who voted for the Liberal Democrats have a right to feel let down by Nick Clegg's u-turn on cuts.”

"Labour’s efforts to invest in new schools has already been hit with the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government cutting funding for many schools in the borough.

"I will continue to work with Labour colleagues to challenge these cuts which are so vital to our local communities and urge Mr Hussain to distance himself from Nick Clegg's cuts".

Waltham Forest Council are yet to comment.

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