The Camden Green Party has caused chaos as one of their successful local election candidates was not eligible to take up the position of being a councillor.
Mohammed Abu Naser, who was elected as one of three Green councillors for Regent’s Park ward, was ineligible to become a councillor, as he is a council employee. Frustratingly, the Green Party did not check this prior to allowing him to stand as a candidate. As a result, he has been forced to resign, and Regent’s Park residents will have to go back to the polls on Thursday 9th July to elect a councillor.
The Camden Green Party’s avoidable mistake is wasting over £20,000 of taxpayer money which should have been spent on community safety teams to tackle anti-social behaviour, plant trees to make our streets greener or build a cycle hangar to improve bike storage.
Across London, the Green Party have triggered eight by-elections costing the city £250,000 and sending tens of thousands of Londoners back to the polls just weeks after the local elections.
The rules were clear, and the Camden Green Party should have checked their candidates. Instead, they have taken the residents of Regent’s Park for granted.
Only Labour can beat the Green Party here and clean up their mess. Just 37 votes separated the Green and Labour candidates at the local elections on 7 May.
This by-election will be a close race. Regent’s Park residents have a choice between a hard-working Labour councillor with local connections who will deliver for you, or another Green Party candidate, who simply doesn’t have the experience, influence, knowledge or commitment required to do the job.