The Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association has welcomed the decision of former Councillor, Joe Webster in leaving the Conservative Party and joining our Association.Mr Webster has a huge amount of experience in helping the local community, first elected in 1998, he represented the Rise Park ward and then, following Boundary changes in 2002, he contested the newly-formed Pettits Ward, a seat he held until 2006.
Now Mr Webster intends to go back into local politics, by becoming an action team member for the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association, representing the Mawneys Ward in Collier Row, where he will join long-standing activists Graham & Karen Price.
Joe, who was also the Cabinet member for Education for almost three years, has a huge wealth of experience of local issues that will be a great benefit to the local community, having previously been a Councillor for 8 years. He is also a Governor at no less than three schools, Marshalls Park, Rise Park Junior and Parklands Infants.
Commenting on Joe’s decision, Chairman of the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association, Cllr Andrew Mann said “I believe that Joe Webster will be a brilliant asset to our team in Collier Row, he is dedicated and hard-working and just wants the best for the local community, I know he will fit in well with our team and I look forward to working with him in the run up to the next local elections in 2010”
Joe Webster said “After 25 years of working for the Conservative Party, I have found this decision very difficult. After my deselection in 2006, I waited to see how the new Council would operate. I have been very disappointed. The worst aspect is the complete absence of transparent democracy, the Overview and Scrutiny is just a joke. Any dissent within the Conservative Group is snuffed out by threats of deselection”
He went on “I have come to the conclusion that the only way to oppose this arrogant treatment of the people of Havering is to join forces with the Residents Association to elect Councillors into the Town Hall who are of independent mind and are prepared to stand by their principles”
2 comments:
Mr. Webster,
I do remember reading the Romford Recorder at the time of the Conservative Party selections and I do believe that you were not re-selected by the Pettits Ward branch. There was never a vote of 'de-selection'.
If I am wrong, please clarify?
Unless you happen to be a member of the Pettits ward Conservative Committee, i doubt you would have such knowledge of the situation. What happened in late 2005 and early 2006, was a few people within the Tory Party at Romford, signed up hundreds of new members, some of which were family and employees of certain people within the party, not all the money was accounted for these members either.
So you could say the outcome of the vote was rigged from the start, which is why the party made Romford Conservatives re-run all the selections, i for one did not take part in this re-run and resigned. Joe Webster was selected to be a candidate by the ward, however at the re-run meeting with over 50 new members he was de-selected, or as you put it not selected, it’s the same thing, just different words !
Cllr Andrew Mann
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