Todmorden News

Lib-Dem Activist Says Councillors 'mostly toothless'

A key player in Hilary Myers’ campaign to win the Calder Valley seat for the Liberal Democrats in the general election, has described Calderdale Lib-Dem Councillors as “mostly toothless” and says they are powerless in their many Scrutiny Panel roles at the Council.

Speaking out on a campaign blog over the weekend, Mat Bowles of Brighouse in West Yorkshire, also claimed that Calderdale’s Conservative councillors have retained controlling power with support from their Labour counterparts.

“Calderdale Council’s performance ‘a very good reason to vote against the Tories’ in the election”

This claim appears to contradict widespread local press coverage from Autumn 2009, when leader of Calderdale Labour group Cllr Tim Swift called for a vote of no-confidence in the Conservative administration, a vote from which the Lib-Dem Councillors abstained despite having reportedly supported the move. A similar vote at Kirklees Council, proved successful in establishing a Labour/Lib Dem partnership administration, which was subsequently replaced by a full Labour administration with the full agreement of both parties.

Commenting with regard to the forthcoming general election, Bowles also said that Calderdale Council’s performance was “a very good reason to vote against the Tories” in the election, but that the council’s performance was no reason to vote against the Liberal Democrats, as “they’re not, and have never been, in power there”.

Mr. Bowles, who is himself standing as a Lib-Dem candidate in the Local Council Elections (Town Ward), is understood to have an important role in Hilary Myers’ campaign for the Calder Valley seat, and said of his involvement that “I want to fight a campaign where I’m needed”.