Questions Raised over Residency of Pitshanger Councillor
Ben Wesson says he is living in Northampton in campaign literature
Ben Wesson has been short-listed as a Labour general election candidate. Picture: Twitter
March 2, 2023
Questions have been raised about the residency of an Ealing Labour councillor after campaign literature was published seeming to indicate he had moved to Northampton.
Ben Wesson was elected to represent Pitshanger ward less than an year ago but is now bidding to become the Labour candidate for Northampton South in the next general election.
He has been short-listed with three others to contest the seat which is currently held by the Conservatives by Andrea Leadsom but which, on current polling, Labour would have high hopes of winning. The most widely predicted date for an election to be held would be towards the end of next year.
In a leaflet issued by his team he is quoted as saying, “Everyone has the right to live in a safe and secure home here in Northampton South. I live here, and I know this is not always the case.”
He adds, “I’ll champion better planning to ensure we have the right homes in the right location at the right price.”
He has received an endorsement from the local Labour MP Ben Murray who said, “Ben is a top-rate candidate and campaigner. He was tireless at putting in the hard work during the last local elections - helping to win a ward in my constituency that was Conservative not long ago. As a Councillor, Ben immediately showed how effective he is at representing local residents and getting things done. He will make an excellent Labour MP for Northampton South.”
However, Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition Councillor Gary Malcolm said, "Councillor Ben Wesson needs to make his mind up whether he lives in Northampton or Ealing. Pitshanger residents deserve to be represented by councillors who live locally not fifty miles away.”
There is no set rule requiring a councillor to live in the ward, borough or same city which they represent. They can continue to collect allowances if they attend a requisite number of council meetings, although it is generally expected that they should resign if they move away permanently.
The Labour party demanded the resignation of two Conservative councillors Alex Stafford and Joy Morrisey after they won seats in Westminster at the last election but it is generally accepted that councillors can absent themselves from their local authority area temporarily if they are campaigning to be an MP. The two Ealing Conservative councillors did not resign immediately because the pandemic made it impossible to hold by-elections to replace them.
We have contacted the Labour Party in Ealing for clarification on Cllr Wesson’s place of abode.
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