Ex-Mayor disqualified from election

AN administrative blunder has left a former Mayor of Warrington, who has served as a councillor for nearly 20 years, unable to take a seat on his local parish council after the May elections – even though he is not being opposed.
Coun George Warburton, a Labour member of Penketh Parish Council for 17 years has found himself “disqualified” from being a candidate in the May 1 parish elections.
Two other Labour candidates nominated for the parish, Hilary Cooksey and Francis Towers have similarly been rejected as candidates.
All three were rejected because they were either proposed or seconded by someone who had already signed the maximum number of nomination papers allowed.
Ironically, the person who signed too many papers was another former Mayor, Coun Linda Dirir.
Coun Warburton, (pictured)Mayor of Warrington in 2002-03, is also seeking re-election to the borough council.
He said: “There’s no problem with my borough nomination. But when the parish nominations came up the computer threw mine out.
“It’s an easy mistake to make – I didn’t even know how many other nominations my proposer and seconder had signed, nor that there was a limit.
“If I had handed my papers in a day earlier I would have been OK. There isn’t going to be a parish election anyway because there are only seven candidates for 12 seats and no-one is opposed.
“The new council will be able to co-opt extra members after the election and I would certainly be interested in being co-opted. The parish council will be able to co-opt whoever they like.
“I’ve never known anything like this happen before.”
Coun Dirir said: “It was all a mistake because a situation like this had never cropped up before. But it’s academic anyway because we will be able to co-opt George back onto the council.”