Election results challenged

A CANDIDATE who stood for seats on two Warrington parish councils has challenged the legality of the count.
Michael Foxall, a member of Stockton Heath Alternative Residents’ Council (SHARC) claims the correct procedures were not followed and, as a result, candidates in the Stockton Heath and Appleton parish elections were denied the opportunity to ask for recounts.
He has reported the matter to the Electoral Commission and claims they are investigating the matter.
Mr Foxall claims that at Stockton Heath, SHARC candidate Patrick Mullee lost out by only three votes but was not allowed to have a recount.
He says there was also an irregularity in the Appleton count.
In the event of the Electoral Commission ruling the election results null and void, any subsequent decisions made by the two parish councils would also be null and void, he added.
Mr Foxall said the correct procedure at the count was that the result should be made known to candidates before a public announcement was made, giving them an opportunity to ask for a recount. This did not happen in the Appleton and Stockton Heath counts.
As a result, candidates were not able to ask for recounts.
Mr Foxall said he had submitted an application to the Royal Courts of Justice in London for the counts to be reopened.