“IT COULD BE ME” ADMITS COUNCILLOR IN VOTING PROBE

10-03-2007

The leader of the British National Party on Sandwell Council has admitted that he could be the focus of an inquiry into an alleged illegal voting scandal.

As we revealed on this site yesterday, information has been passed to the police following claims that a councillor broke the law by voting at Tuesday's budget meeting, despite being more than two months in arrears with his council tax (see our story here).

This is an offence under the Local Government Act, and anyone found guilty could be fined or imprisoned and barred from office.

James Lloyd, who represents Princes End in Tipton, admitted: “I don't know if it's me they're on about. It could be me. I'm a contractor so I pay my all my bills at different times, it might be every month or every couple of months.

“Sometimes I pay in excess of £1,000 to the council because I have to wait for people to pay me.”

He says he had no idea that it was illegal to vote if you were more than two months in arrears, and although all councillors were sent recorded deliveries reminding them of the law, Lloyd insists his only came after the budget meeting.

“It didn't come until the day after, so I collected it the day after that. I'm often on site early in the morning and if you have to sign for a letter you can only pick it up at the Post Office between 7 and 12.”