09/12/2024
While not directly a South Woodham Ferrers post, residents may be aware of the recent, untimely, death of Ian Grundy, who served as City and County Councillor for Stock.
One of the vagaries of the political landscape is that the Stock 'division' at Essex County Council encompasses Margaretting, Rettendon, Runwell, Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre.
There is an accepted tradition that by-elections are not called until after the funeral of the deceased councillor. There's also a rule that by-elections are not called during the final six months before a major election.
The Reform Party - somewhat disrespectfully - called for by-elections on October 31st, the day before the 6 month rule would have cut in, and three weeks before Ian Grundy's funeral. The elected County Councillor will serve for just five months before next May's elections.
And of course, it is we residents who bear the cost of elections, officers to staff the polling stations and count votes.
As to the by-elections, the Conservative candidate for the County Council election is Sue Dobson who has served as a City Councillor for several years, and stepped up as Mayor after the sad passing of Cllr. John Galley. Sue has said that she accepts that she will only serve residents for five months, but that she's standing in Ian Grundy's Memory. The candidate for the City Council elections is Gillian Swain, a long-standing Stock Parish Councillor.
The Reform candidate has no record of serving residents on any other public body and has had his past business interests called into question by both the Advertising Standards Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority. He is being supported in his campaign by an Epping Forest Councillor who was expelled from the Conservatives.
