Cllr Claudia Webbe

• COUNCILLOR Claudia Webbe complains that only 29 per cent of Lewisham East Labour members took part in the selection of their next parliamentary candidate, and that she was disadvantaged by that – having obtained only eight per cent of votes, (35, while the winner got 288).

Yet, as environment and transport executive councillor in Islington she forces her support for burning and accumulating of barbecue rubbish in Highbury Fields based on a 32.6 per cent turnout of voters in the recent local elections in her ward, Bunhill – the lowest in Islington and down from 33.8 in 2014; and with the lowest amount of votes too, 1,704 (1,725 and 1,832 having gone to her two colleagues).

The highest voter turnout was in the two Islington wards where the Greens were most active: Highbury East with 48.90 per cent, up from 44.2 in 2014, and St George’s with 44.65 per cent, up from 42.1 in 2014. The Green Party’s Caroline Russell got 2,307 votes.

Perhaps there is the message hidden in all of that – that Claudia Webbe is not too popular, either in Lewisham or in Islington?

In the same online article she complains that parliamentary candidacies should be open to those who are not resident in the relevant constituency, but Jeremy Corbyn, admired and supported by Cllr Webbe, opposes proportional representation on the grounds that it would remove the current link with the locality. Perhaps in Lewisham they also wanted someone local?

It would seem, therefore, that Cllr Webbe expects a high turnout of voters when she thinks she might get a safe Labour parliamentary seat – a race she has lost – but is happy with a low turnout when her Islington councillor job is at stake – a race she has won.

It would seem also that she is stuck in Islington for the foreseeable future, although she would rather oppose Mr Corbyn’s support for MPs having local connections, and would prefer being parachuted in wherever a safe parliamentary
seat becomes available.

The unfortunate reality is that Cllr Webbe is stuck with us and we are stuck with her and with the burning in Highbury Fields.

ANITA FRIZZARIN
Wedmore Gardens, N19