Emergency by-elections in Exeter
The row over Labour’s deathbed attempted coup to wrench Exeter out of the grasp of Devon County Council, rumbles on.
Thirteen councillors had their terms extended to allow them to deal with the process of fast-tracking unitary status. This has been declared illegal by a High Court judge who has ordered that by-elections must take place to maintain legality.
The councillors were due to stand for re-election in May but had been granted extensions in office as part of provisional arrangements for unitary status. Now Mr Justice Ouseley has sacked them from office, pending the by-elections.
Exeter City Council leader Adrian Fullam is reported as saying, “The process for considering Exeter’s unitary bid has been botched from start to finish. Now people in Exeter face a set of emergency elections. This is an expensive and arguably unnecessary solution to a problem which should not have arisen.”
The leader of Devon County Council, John Hart, said, “Devon had no wish to force Exeter into holding elections but these are uncertain times and we needed complete clarity on the unitary question.”
The County claims that allowing Exeter to go it alone would add £200 to the council Tax bill at a time of economic austerity. It is widely believed that the city is not big enough to merit unitary status.
The judge also rapped former Communities Secretary John Denham’s across the knuckles, saying he had acted unfairly and there had been a flawed consultation process.
Exeter taxpayers will now have to pay Devon’s not insignificant legal bills.
