A PROMINENT Labour politician in Salisbury has resigned from the party after a row over an ‘all women shortlist’.
John Wells is Salisbury City Councillor for the St Francis and Stratford ward and is chair of the Environment and Climate Committee.
However, he is now listed as an independent councillor – and intends to stand as such in the upcoming local elections, which is where a disagreement with the party started.
At the May 1 poll, Cllr Wells intends to stand for election in his home ward for not only the city council, but also for the overarching Wiltshire Council, the unitary authority.
However, despite being accepted as a candidate for the city council election and for the Wiltshire Council ballot by the South West Regional Labour Party office, he was refused permission to stand in that specific ward by the national party.
This was, your Gazette understands, because Labour had deemed St Francis and Stratford a ‘winnable’ seat and imposed an All Women Shortlist (AWS) for candidates.
This left Cllr Wells with a difficult decision.
“Do I remain a member of the Labour Party, or do I stand for election as Wiltshire Councillor in St Francis and Stratford Ward?,” he said.
“Our family has lived in this ward for 15 years – my children grew up here, and I was the first ever Labour SCC councillor to be elected to represent this ward in 2021.”
Cllr Wells has now decided to stand as an independent in both elections – Salisbury City Council and Wiltshire Council.
“There was no doubt in my mind that as a councillor, serving the residents in my local community comes first,” he said.
“My nomination as an independent candidate as a unitary (Wiltshire) councillor, and as a city councillor, for Salisbury St Francis & Stratford Ward, was validated on March 17 and I terminated my membership of the Labour Party on March 19.
“I am grateful for the unwavering support of the members of the Salisbury Labour Party throughout my four years as a city councillor, and in trying to persuade the South West Office to change their mind and allow me to stand as a Labour candidate.
“I have the utmost respect and admiration for the Labour Party councillors in our city and I wish them well in the current campaign.”
The Labour Party has so far not responded to a request for comment.
Nominations for the local elections close on April 2.
Why make local elections political anyway?!! Do National Lab and Con etc have policies on the Salisbury public toilets or crematorium? Write your own manifesto and stand as Independent and represent the inhabitants of the ward – not a political party!!!
Labour are a disaster – no one wants to be associated with their Anti-British policies or the robot made of sausages , Starmer ,their leader