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Cllr Thompson pictured on the Univesity of Arizona website |
Lib Dems admit councillor is studying at US university
Calls for by-election over ‘shocking, bizarre’ Arizona revelation
LIBERAL Democrat leaders have been forced to fight off calls for a by-election after it was revealed that a councillor has enrolled to study full-time at an American university.
After months of emailed rumour about an unnamed councillor moving abroad, details of Philip Thompson’s enrolment as a postgraduate at the University of Arizona broke this week, focusing unwanted attention on the 25-year-old’s empty seat during Monday night’s full council meeting at the town hall.
The Lib Dems’ speedily announced that Cllr Thompson would be replaced as vice-chairman of the powerful licensing committee. But it did little to allay criticism from both the Labour opposition and the power-sharing Conservatives.
Labour leader Anna Stewart said: “It is extremely bizarre for a sitting councillor to go away and live abroad and it is not clear how he can adequately represent his constituents in that scenario.
“The idea that you could do that from Arizona on a full-time basis is shocking and bizarre. There is a question about when the Lib Dem leadership knew, and, if they did, why didn’t they didn’t take any action?”
Cllr Thompson, who polled one of the highest numbers of votes of any Camden councillor when he won Kentish Town from Labour at the 2006 council elections, remains a member of the Culture and Environment Scrutiny Committee.
But like his peers, he remains eligible to remain as a councillor- and draw his £9,303 annual allowance, provided he attends just one council meeting every six months.
On Monday, Councillor Russell Eagling, the Lib Dem chief whip, insisted that Cllr Thompson would be able to continue with both his democratic duties and his research into American politics.
“Philip Thompson is in Arizona at the moment, doing a doctorate,” said Cllr Eagling. “The expectation is that he’ll be able to do both things. If he is going to be a student permanently in America then he can’t be a councillor.
“But that is not the situation at the moment, as I understand.”
He added: “Philip is a very hard-working guy.”
Lib Dem council leader Keith Moffitt said: “I only found out about this last week. It was a bit of a surprise but I suppose that it goes hand in hand with having young councillors. We are keen to have councillors of all ages so we have to accept that they will want to explore other things.
“The model of being a councillor is changing, although I would say being leader is a full-time job.”
Conservative leader Councillor Andrew Marshall said: “If it is the case that he is a student in America, then there should be a by-election.”
Speaking from Arizona, Cllr Thompson told the New Journal that the opportunity to further his studies had been “fantastic and unexpected” and that he was “making a decision about my future in Camden”.
He added: “I am still considering my position and I’m discussing what is the best way forward with (fellow councillors) and the many constituents I’ve worked with over the last three years in Kentish Town.” |
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