Council Cock-up

In the total and utter confusion surrounding this badly handled referendum here is yet another 'cock-up.'
This smacks of desperation and self-preservation.
Our complaints will be going in on Monday, as well as those of many Derwentside residents.

Yet again, we will witness the toothless, ineffective Electoral Commission sitting on the fence. They have no power to force the Council to remove the leaflets. However, the District Auditor has the power of censure and they will be forced to intervene.

Council Leader Alex Watson should have been fully aware of the legislation and of the purdah period. If not, then he is not fit to hold office. He must be held personally responsible for any cost burden.

To view the Journal story online click here

The £20,000 stick-up
Oct 8 2004
By Ross Smith, The Journal

Bungling council bosses have been accused of "staggering incompetence" after running up a potential £20,000 bill to remove political stickers from wheelie bins.

Binmen in Derwentside, County Durham, have to remove them from the area's 40,000 bins because the stickers break election law.
The stickers call on residents to support the district council's position on local government re-organisation.
But they will have to be removed by today because a "purdah" period - where public bodies are not allowed to put out any advertising material that may sway an election - has begun.
Council leader Alex Watson was hoping that the stickers would be allowed to stay, but the Electoral Commission has told him that they must be removed.
North-East Euro MP Martin Callanan said last night: "This is staggering incompetence.
"Somebody should remind them that the only reason we're having to go through this farce is because their own Labour Government has imposed a referendum.
"Otherwise they wouldn't be contemplating their own future."
And Reg Ord, who sits on both Derwentside
Council and Durham County Council said: "The stickers are a complete waste of money and time as far as I'm concerned.
"It's more work for our hard-pressed refuse collectors and confirmation that they have been an absolute waste of money. It's ridiculous."

Unions estimate the wage costs of carrying out the job could be as much as £20,000.
Derwentside Council leader Alex Watson told The Journal that he thought the stickers could stay up as long as no new ones were added.
But an Electoral Commission spokeswoman said: "They would have to take them down.
"Any kind of advertising of that form would have to be removed during the purdah period.
"They would be in breach if they put something up beforehand and leave it there."
Derwentside Council, along with the other district councils in Durham, is calling for voters to support an option which would see three unitary council established. But Durham County Council wants just one authority to be set up for the whole county.
The reforms will come in if a regional assembly is established after the referendum on November 4.
Voters in Durham will be asked which option they prefer in a second question on ballot papers, which are due to go out in two weeks.
People in Northumberland will also be given a choice on local government re-organisation.
Coun Watson said that he would have the stickers removed if Derwentside received any complaints - but only if publicity material from the county council was also taken out of the public eye.
He said: "If somebody complains, we'll pull them back.
"But that must mean all publications are pulled back so all the county's must be taken down too.
"All we want to do is inform the public."
Coun Watson added that the stickers were bio-degradable.
"They'll disappear eventually," he said, "but not before Derwentside Council, I hope."