Parish election blunder

Update on this blog entry - original results are now confirmed as accurate - see blog entry 7th June 2010.

Whats going on? We thought we had our new Parish Council all elected (see my blog here) only to find that the results published were infact wrong! The new results are published here and below. We need answers to how this has occurred?

Photo: view of Ruscombe valley

I am still on a holiday break but have just sent the email below to the Chief Executive and copied to District Council Group leaders of each political party. I await an answer but this does look particularly shabby and it is no wonder that I have had angry emails from local residents. I hope to be able to publish any answers on this issue as soon as I get them.

I do not underestimate the mammoth task it is to organise the local elections - and largely they appear to have been very successfully organised. However there is a significant failing in Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council ward in the recent Parish elections.

You will be aware that the results were published on the web and as a result Parish councillors celebrated their election or re-election - indeed I sent notes of congratulations to councillors. I have now just returned from a few days away to find that the election result is different to that originally published on the web. Only 4 of the results stayed the same, the voting figures for the others all changed (many by significant numbers) and one councillor who thought she had been elected now finds that she has not been.

The Parish Council are understandably very concerned by this and some have suggested that a recount or further election is now necessary. While I know there will have been eyes scrutinising the count I would welcome an answer as to how this failing has occurred and assurances that the count results are now a true representation of voters wishes in this ward.

I also seek assurances that letters have already been sent to apologise to all councillors - and in particular the councillor who had thought she had won her election only to find she had not gained a seat.

Lastly I would welcome being copied in on the answers to the issues raised by Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council earlier regarding the failure to get election notices out by the required date and the lack of publicity regarding the Parish elections. On the later point I wonder if other Parishes have ideas about how publicity can be improved? It would be great to see the District Council taking more of a lead to encourage residents.

Cllr. Philip Booth, Stroud District councillor for the Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe ward

Name of Candidate	Description	Votes
CHARLEY Rebecca Louise		173 ELECTED
DANCE Greg		127 ELECTED
HOOD Peter David		138 ELECTED
KIMBER Geraldine Maria	Serving Councillor	144 ELECTED
PRICE Vanessa		78
REDVERS-WEST Elizabeth Caroline		161 ELECTED
ROGERS John Geoffrey	Past Chairman of Parish Council	119 ELECTED
SCOTT Louise Katrina		183 ELECTED
SMITH Nigel Lawrence		124 ELECTED
TOMKINS Steve	Existing Parish Councillor	185 ELECTED