The North Tyneside Tories have been branded an ‘absolute disgrace’ after they launched an online attack on a long-serving councilor battling a serious illness.
The party accused Jim Allan of being the ‘laziest Labor councilor’ in the borough and claimed he ‘didn’t think it was necessary’ to attend meetings, after an election was called partial to replace the former deputy mayor. Mr Allan, who was also leader of the North Tyneside Labor group, has been unable to attend a council meeting since last November due to ‘serious illness’ – now passing a six-month threshold, meaning that he was forced out of his seat in Camperdown.
The 71-year-old has giant cell arteritis, a condition that can cause severe headaches and even blindness, and is protecting himself while he receives treatment, while battling mental health issues and coping with the serious illness of another family member. . But a website run by the borough’s Conservative opposition has now sparked outrage from Mr Allan’s Labor colleagues.
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The article in the North Tyneside Gazette, which claims on its Facebook page to be a local news outlet, is headlined ‘Voters must go to the polls after ‘laziest Labor adviser’ leaves’ and claims he ‘ received over £150,000 in allowances – but did not think it was necessary to attend the meetings he was being paid for.” This is not the first time the North Tyneside Conservative Party has been embroiled in scandal recently, with Preston ward councilor Liam Bones also coming under fire last year for another ‘misleading’ website and ahead of the May election for publishing an ‘unethical’ leaflet mimicking the Green Party .
A screenshot seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) shows that a sponsored Facebook post for the North Tyneside Gazette page was paid for by Coun Bones. The Tories were also forced to deny in March abusing the furlough scheme, after accusations made public by MP Mary Glindon in the House of Commons.
(Image: North Tyneside Gazette Facebook)
A spokesperson for the North Tyneside Conservatives told the LDRS that Mr Allan ‘should have let someone else take the job’ if he was ill.
Labor accused the Tories of ‘gutter politics’ ahead of the July 14 by-election, with Deputy Mayor Carl Johnson saying: ‘Jim has been gravely ill with a serious illness from a young member of the Despite this, Jim continued his case work and online meetings.
“The Conservatives’ attempt to personally attack Jim on this issue is an absolute disgrace. Their tactics are misleading and dishonest but sadly typical of North Tyneside Tories.
“I want to thank Jim for his many years of service and wish him the best of health.” Mr Allan was first elected to represent Wallsend in 1983 and served the Camperdown ward in the early 2000s.
A spokesperson for the North Tyneside Conservatives said: ‘This by-election was called after a Labor councilor failed to attend any meetings for six months, while still receiving his full allowance. We are sorry to hear of Mr Allan’s poor health, but if that was the case he should have let someone else take the job – instead of leaving his residents without representation for much of the year. ‘year.
‘If it hadn’t been for the investigative work done by NT Gazette into Mr Allan’s failure to attend meetings, the issue would have gone unnoticed and residents would continue without proper representation. North Tyneside Labor is now scrambling to cover up a poor attendance record and hide the fact that for many of their councilors the role is really just another seat on the gravy train.
“We hope residents will use their vote in this by-election to bring about much-needed change in Annitsford, Burradon, Camperdown and Killingworth.”
The by-election candidates are due to be announced this Friday, with former council cabinet member Peter Earley already confirmed as Labour’s pick – having been unselected in his former Benton ward ahead of May’s local elections.
North Tyneside Council confirmed: ‘A policy in the Local Government Act states that councilors must attend at least one meeting every six months. Due to Councilor Allan suffering physical and mental health issues and health issues for one of his own families, as well as Covid-19 restrictions, Jim was unable to attend a council meeting in face to face since November 2021.
‘As a result, Jim no longer meets the criteria to be a councilor in North Tyneside, his position is now vacant and a by-election will be held on July 14 to elect a new ward councillor.’
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