Hulme Seeks Independents For Parish Council
Cllr Ken Hulme, pictured during his election campaign earlier this year.
One of the best-known figures in local politics, Cllr Ken Hulme, is appealing for independent candidates to join him in standing in next year’s Saddleworth Parish Council election. Cllr Hulme has also confirmed he will be making another attempt to get elected to the borough council.
Cllr Hulme is a former Labour member who left the party after becoming “increasingly disillusioned” over a variety of issues, including the war in Iraq, private involvement in the public services, and the attitude of the previous Labour administration in Oldham towards Saddleworth. He now sits as the only independent parish councillor in our area.
In May, he stood for the borough council in Saddleworth North and polled 1,628 votes, putting him a close second behind Cllr Alan Roughley of the Liberal Democrats. A similar vote next May would probably be enough for Cllr Hulme to take the seat, because the turnout is likely to be much lower given there won’t be a general election on the same day.
The contest has extra significance because the Lib Dems and Labour hold 27 seats each on the borough council, and both will have hopes of adding the three they need to take overall control in May. Therefore, a defeat to Cllr Hulme in Saddleworth North could prove very costly for the Lib Dems.
There will also be a parish council election next May, and Cllr Hulme is setting his sights on that body too. In an e-mail to supporters, the Delph-based politician said: “I urge you to consider standing as an independent. Like many others I believe party politics are entirely out of place on a parish council. We need independent minded individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who put the interests of Saddleworth and the villages they represent above any party politics and toeing any Oldham party line.”
He continued: “We need a strong parish council standing up for Saddleworth, not a sub-committee of Oldham Council rubber stamping decisions handed down from the Civic Centre. We need parish councillors who really want to serve the local community, not reluctant candidates drafted in to make up the numbers on a party slate.”
Elections to the parish council are held every four years. There are 20 members, and at the last election the Lib Dems took 17 seats, with the Conservatives two and Cllr Hulme the other.
As for the borough council, it is Cllr Derek Heffernan who is due to defend the Saddleworth North ward for the Lib Dems next May. He won with a majority of 1,019 over the Conservatives in 2007, with Cllr Hulme, who was the Labour candidate, further back in third.
Cllr Hulme has often clashed with senior Lib Dems on both the borough and parish councils, including Cllr Heffernan. Earlier this year, Cllr Hulme complained that he had been overlooked for the roles of Chairman and Vice Chairman on the parish council, and accused the Lib Dems of “playing politics.” Cllr Heffernan denied there had been a “stitch up” to keep Cllr Hulme out, and argued that someone who had been publicly critical of the parish council in the way Cllr Hulme had should not serve in one of its senior jobs.
Anyone interested in taking up Cllr Hulme’s invitation to stand as an independent for the parish council is asked to call him on 01457 872859.
A Saddleworth News article about the row between Cllrs Hulme and Heffernan can be read here.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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