Tory members with ‘welcome back’ signs on Monday night

CONSERVATIVE Party members waited outside the Town Hall chamber with “welcome back” signs for a Labour councillor living in west London.

The political banter was aimed at Danny Beales, a cabinet chief in Camden who registered his permanent address in Hillingdon – and then voted for himself in a parliamentary by-election over there.

In a shock result which he blamed on London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s expansion of the ULEZ (ultra low emissions zone) to outer boroughs, Cllr Beales ended up failing to unseat the Tories in Uxbridge and South Ruislip. But he had not given up his place in Camden and was back on the front bench for Monday’s full council meeting.

Outside, three Conservative members held up “Welcome Back Danny” posters in old red and yellow Labour branding.

The Conservatives are aware that Cllr Beales, who had previously been living in Kentish Town, would not have been able to rent a house locally in west London simply for the purposes of voting in the by-election in July – so must now be officially a Hillingdon resident.

There is no suggestion that Cllr Beales has broken any of the electoral or local authority rules, and he can still qualify to be a councillor in Camden as long as his place of employment is within the borough. In the past, Camden has ruled that being an existing councillor can count as a work tie.

Conservative leader Gio Spinella kept the banter going

In a further quip, Camden’s Conservative group leader, Councillor Gio Spinella, said during the meeting: “May I give my greetings to the most illustrious resident of Uxbridge here in our midst – I hope that the Metropolitan line down to King’s Cross was not too long and arduous.”

Cllr Beales remains Labour’s candidate in Uxbridge and South Ruislip which will be heavily targeted at the next general election, while hold­ing the regeneration chief role for Camden Council.

Labour councillor Danny Beales back in the council chamber in Camden

He has already said that there is not a conflict and that he plans to stay on as a councillor here.

“I’m still a Camden councillor and will continue to be and have been completing my casework and other responsibilities,” he said after the by-election result.

Highgate Green councillor Sian Berry is standing for parliament in Brighton

Meanwhile Camden’s sole Green councillor Sian Berry, who is spending half the week in Brighton where she is also a parliamentary candidate, dropped a hint she may soon be stepping down from the council.

While suggesting that more opposition members should be on scrutiny committees, the Highgate councillor said: “I can’t stay here for that much longer but when my successor is here I don’t want them standing up in a few years time and hearing ‘well things were terrible back then but they are fine now’ because I’ve heard that so many times since I’ve been here.”

Cllr Berry has an­nounced her campaign in the Brighton Pavilion constituency will not stop her standing to be re-elected as a London Assembly member.