West to stand as police commissioner candidate

10:40am Friday 21st September 2012 in Local By Adam Richards

Tadley borough councillor Stephen West defects to UKIP Tadley borough councillor Stephen West defects to UKIP

Borough Councillor Stephen West has defected from the Conservatives to UKIP, and will stand as their candidate for the new role of Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, it has been confirmed.

The election to the post takes place in November.

Today Cllr West is in Birmingham for the annual UKIP Conference, where party leader Nigel Farage will invite Cllr West on stage to announce his candidacy.

Last night the Tadley Central ward member shocked Conservative colleagues on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council by handing in his resignation, later saying that he had become increasingly “at odds” with his party of 12 years.

 

Comments(26)

Best_Name_Ever says...
12:56pm Fri 21 Sep 12

Does this mean he is no longer a Tadley Councillor? Surely you cannot get voted in as a Conservative councillor and then move to a different party and remain a councillor for the area without an election?

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Best_Name_Ever says...
12:58pm Fri 21 Sep 12

Well, that will teach me to scroll down in future to check any associated stories! I see he resigned.

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The _right_stuff says...
1:39pm Fri 21 Sep 12

Does this mean the conservatives do not have the controlling ammount of seats now in the council ?

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Quimbo says...
2:02pm Fri 21 Sep 12

Is Mr West related to John West, the famous tuna magnate?

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The _right_stuff says...
2:08pm Fri 21 Sep 12

No I dont think he is......and you can't make magnets out of Tuna....metal only : )

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stevemac1970 says...
3:19pm Fri 21 Sep 12

I'm trying to work out if he has resigned the post or just the party. As for if can change party, it's happened so often in recent years, rats leaving the sinking Tory ship, it should be no surprise to anyone that it's happened again. As for the Tories in control still, well that's in the hands of the independents and lib dems for now. And last time I spoke to Steve, he never mentioned John, Fred, Rose or any other West except his wife and kids.

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Quimbo says...
9:39pm Fri 21 Sep 12

The _right_stuff wrote:
No I dont think he is......and you can't make magnets out of Tuna....metal only : )
BA BOM - CHE!

HAHAHAHAHA etc

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shame says...
9:43am Sat 22 Sep 12

To be fair is this NOT just what the whole lib dems have done but the other way round

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davescorpio0 says...
10:02am Sat 22 Sep 12

During the count at the last local election I witnessed the worried looks on the Tory Councillors faces as UKIP polled above them in many Wards. Lib dems seemed to have accepted the inevitable. Now UKIP dont have any seats YET. but they have eroded and diluted the other Parties share. ROME WASNT BUILT IN A DAY. But as the new party on the block.the rise as been incredible. Its time Cameron gave the British people a real genuine choice on remaining a member of The EU. After all none of us asked to join.our parents only gave their vote to become a trading member of The Common market.
The writings on the wall. Watch out for more defections. Councillors MPs and Euro MPs.

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BugBear says...
2:52pm Mon 24 Sep 12

Nice to see a new party unsettling the cosy trio who think its their god given right to rule over us. I hope they teach these cretins who they are supposed to represent, us not themselves.

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Best_Name_Ever says...
4:50pm Mon 24 Sep 12

But I see he is not going to stand for re-election unless 20% of the voters write to him an demand that he stand for re-election. How does that work? That means the people of Tadley have a councillor for a party which they have not voted for. Sounds like a back door way in to me.

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P Heath says...
4:57pm Mon 24 Sep 12

Well done Steve you have repeated what I have always said about the conservatives I never left them the party left Basingstoke.

Also offering a byelection if the electorate ask is refreshing as only about 35% turnout at an election 20% is a very generous margin.

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Best_Name_Ever says...
5:56pm Mon 24 Sep 12

Is this legal? To stand for one party then only offer an election if 20% of people ask? How do you let them all know? How do you make sure that every person in Tadley knows that the person they voted in as a Conservative member is now a UKIP member and in order to get a re-election they have to write and ask for one?

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Best_Name_Ever says...
5:56pm Mon 24 Sep 12

Maybe that is more a question for BDBC to explore.

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Jo Walke says...
9:23pm Mon 24 Sep 12

When you vote at an election you are voting for that actual person - they may belong to a political party and a political party may 'back' their campaign for election but once elected they can pretty much 'represent' as they may choose.

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Best_Name_Ever says...
8:41am Tue 25 Sep 12

Thanks for the Jo Walke.

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Buster Preciation says...
11:10am Wed 26 Sep 12

Jo Walke is absolutely correct. It's a shame that voters don't look at candidates rather than just the colour of the rosette they happen to be wearing in the run up to the election. I've never supported any party but I have known some good politicians and plenty of bad ones from both sides of the house.
However it is another matter if a candidate changes their views from aligning with one party to aligning with another. In that instance voters are justified in claiming they've been conned.

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Jonty11 says...
7:17pm Wed 26 Sep 12

Question is, what does Cllr West actually know about community safety, police work or the needs of the community beyond what most of us do? And what is he going to suggest needs to be done?

In a party that is for the most part concerned about its connection with Europe......what do they and in particular Cllr West got to add as a police commissioner?

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Jonty11 says...
7:23pm Wed 26 Sep 12

P.s. I think there are 30 conservatives and 30 councillors of other parties. In full council, if the vote is even, I could be wrong but I think the mayor gets the casting vote.............

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davescorpio0 says...
9:46pm Wed 26 Sep 12

Lots of presumtive remarks from the same folks but none from anyone on Councillor West's ward as yet so impossible to say how the people of Tadley feel. Also the remark about UKIP being mainly about Europe. Maybe you should read their manifesto.
Europe and a referendum are one of them but it covers, Health, Education, Police, Immigration and much more.
I do wonder how many folks reading these remarks would like the UK to have a real and fair refferendum on our continued membership of the failed EU or would you like to see us sinking on the EU Titanic? UKIP is the only party offering a real choice and statistics prove every family is £6000 worse of a year because or our membership

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P Heath says...
10:40pm Wed 26 Sep 12

Steve West was a Special Constable for 16 years and was responsible for getting Community Safety Officers in Tadley, led a community speed gun campaign to slow traffic in Tadley.

Ukip runs candidaters at all elections they believe in localism not just getting power from Europe to Westminster but from Westminster to the Local council and ultimately local people.

Major planning applications should be decided by local referendums this would have saved BDBC loosing hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost court cases.

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Best_Name_Ever says...
7:56am Thu 27 Sep 12

davescorpio0 wrote:
Lots of presumtive remarks from the same folks but none from anyone on Councillor West's ward as yet so impossible to say how the people of Tadley feel. Also the remark about UKIP being mainly about Europe. Maybe you should read their manifesto. Europe and a referendum are one of them but it covers, Health, Education, Police, Immigration and much more. I do wonder how many folks reading these remarks would like the UK to have a real and fair refferendum on our continued membership of the failed EU or would you like to see us sinking on the EU Titanic? UKIP is the only party offering a real choice and statistics prove every family is £6000 worse of a year because or our membership
davescorpio0 wrote:
'Lots of presumtive remarks from the same folks'

Same could be said about you.

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Jonty11 says...
1:05pm Thu 27 Sep 12

P Heath says...
10:40pm Wed 26 Sep 12

Steve West was a Special Constable for 16 years and was responsible for getting Community Safety Officers in Tadley, led a community speed gun campaign to slow traffic in Tadley.

Thanks Phil, I stand corrected and Cllr West has my deepest respect for his volunteering ......but I do still wonder what he will bring to the table.

For instance, were I a Parish Councillor you wouldn't necessarily want me as Prime Minister and by the same regard being a Special Constable doesn't necessarily make you a great candidate for a strategic post responsible for dealing with a multi-million pound budget

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Marina Morris says...
11:11pm Thu 27 Sep 12

"Steve West was a Special Constable for 16 years and was responsible for getting Community Safety Officers in Tadley, led a community speed gun campaign to slow traffic in Tadley."

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha etc etc ......the perfect candidate!

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P Heath says...
11:39pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Do you want a carear politician with no experience of what the public want?

A Party lacky who will either bow to their goverment ministers or use the job to win the next general election for the Labour party?

The first Mayoral elections had a football mascott laughed at as being an ordinary person with an interest in what happened on the street, he was elected and did so well 4 years later he was a huge success.

The Police Commissioner will be our link to policing on our streets better to have someone who worked on those streets rather than someone who sits in an ivory tower and looks down on our streets.

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wheston says...
6:40pm Fri 28 Sep 12

Jonty11 wrote:
Question is, what does Cllr West actually know about community safety, police work or the needs of the community beyond what most of us do? And what is he going to suggest needs to be done?

In a party that is for the most part concerned about its connection with Europe......what do they and in particular Cllr West got to add as a police commissioner?
Well for a start, he is (so far) the only candidate to have ever held a police warrant card!

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