In August English Democrats in Salford collected over 10,000 signatures to trigger a referendum for an elected mayor in Salford. We now lift the lid on Salford council's inefficiency.

Last month we ran a story about the success the hard working English Democrat activists had raising signatures for a petition for a directly elected mayor in Salford, click here to read it. In total 10,500 signatures were collected and handed in to the council. It has now transpired that the council officials have failed to deal with the petition correctly.

It is a legal requirement under the Local Government (Referendums) (Petitions and Directions)(England) Regulations 2000 – Statutory Instrument 2000 no 2852 Pt 2, 3 (b) and 11 (2) for Salford City Council to declare a petition to hold a referendum, signed in appropriate form by at least 5% of the electors (8530 in Salford's case) to be either valid or invalid within one month.

Such a petition was handed in (with over 10,000 signatures) on 29th July 2011. The appropriate officer of Salford City Council (The Chief Executive of Salford City Council) has written to the petition

organiser (Geoffrey Berg) to say that she will break the law – which no election candidate nor election agent would be allowed to do without facing legal consequences – by not confirming the petition valid or invalid within the statutory period (one month) – She cites the Salford riots as an excuse, but most council officers working in the town hall didn't get out of the town hall to do anything about the Salford Riots, but the number of people on the Council payroll actually exceeds the number of signatures on the petition and she had 20 working days – a very generous time – to declare the petition valid or invalid.

So although Salford Council has a higher Council tax than any of the neighbouring Councils, the council and its Chief Executive is clearly inefficient. It is proving itself less capable and less scrupulous at organising a petition count and or referendum vote than most banana republics – the blatant illegality of Salford City Council in their conduct of a referendum vote would put a regime like Mugabe's to shame.

The person responsible for this illegal shambles at Salford City Council, its Chief Executive Barbara

Spicer has clearly shown herself to be incompetent in a major area of her responsibility the conduct covers elections within Salford City Council, and should now resign or be dismissed. At the very least she should now be suspended while her failure to abide by the law is examined.

Geoffrey Berg, The Petition Organiser is in the meantime formally writing to the Secretary of State and the Electoral Commission.

Comments (2)

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If she's breaking the law take her to court. Lot's of advertising for the English democrats as well.

Steve , September 02, 2011

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This is just another example of the Establishment trying to hold bakc the will of the people. The local team must have put in a huge amount of hard work getting those signatures together. What's more there must be a large amount of support for an elected mayor in Salford. This should have been dealt with in the correct manner!

English & Proud , September 02, 2011

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