|
|
 |
| |
Cllr Lisa Spall with Ann Widdecombe |
Widdecombe effect ‘ruined my career’
A LABOUR councillor has blamed the Ann Widdecombe effect after failing to win selection as a candidate in Finsbury Park at next year’s Town Hall elections.
Councillor Lisa Spall believes her family’s decision to put up Tory MP Ms Widdecombe at their home on the Andover estate for a TV programme in 2007 could have affected the vote at last week’s ward selection meeting.
Three days after the show was broadcast, someone pushed a lighted rag through her front door. The family later moved out of the area.
Cllr Spall, who has represented Caledonian ward since 2006, lost by two votes at the Finsbury Park ward meeting, attended by about 15 people. Cllr Spall said of the vote: “I didn’t foresee it but it happened. Pretty disappointed is probably a mild way of putting it. It’s just the luck on the night.”
She added: “I decided to go back to Finsbury Park, where my heart is and where I was until 2006, hoping people would have wanted me back as their councillor.
“It could well be something to do with Anne Widdecombe. If that’s true, people are obviously short-sighted because they didn’t understand the reasons behind it.”
She put up the MP because she wanted to bring attention to the estate in the hope of attracting funding for improvements.
Shortly after last week’s meeting, she changed her status on social networking site Facebook to say she “wants to know how people can sleep knowing they have ruined someone’s career. U know who you are Monday Crew!”
Labour councillors Daniel Hulls (Tollington) and Natasha Chatterjee (Holloway) will stand down next year, while St George’s ward Labour councillor Wally Burgess will stand for election in Canonbury. |
 |
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
