Keswick’s newly-elected councillor used his maiden speech to publicly apologise for the mistake which has led to police and the Electoral Commission investigating his victorious campaign.
Cllr Peter Terry, who had stood as a self-styled Independent – Local Problems Require Local Solutions candidate, took his seat for the first time at a town council meeting last Thursday evening after winning the Keswick East by-election seven days earlier.
Cllr Terry, 70, thanked voters for backing him and expressed his intention to represent everyone in his ward irrespective of how they had voted as he beat Labour’s Jean Murray and independent Tim Fisher.
Referring to the post-election investigation, he said: “Unfortunately, I omitted the sponsor’s name and address and who printed the document. It was a total mistake on my behalf which I apologise for. I won’t do it again.”
On being elected, he told his new colleagues: “I do regard it as an honour. I am very proud to represent Keswick, not just the 210 people who thought I was worthy of being their councillor and who I’d like to thank.”
Cumbria Police had confirmed that an investigation was being carried out after reports had been received of “minor infringements of electoral legislation relating to the by-election.”
The town council’s monthly meeting usually lasts more than two hours but was truncated because of the coronavirus crisis. It finished after less than an hour and no members of the public attended.
With Keswick’s mayor Cllr David Burn stuck on holiday lockdown in Lanzarote, his deputy Cllr Paul Titley chaired the meeting. He congratulated Kerry Irving and his celebrity dog Max on the success of their Sunday Times best-seller book which Cllr Titley said had put their home town of Keswick “more on the map.”
He also congratulated Heather Askew on leading Keswick Community Emergency Response Partnership during the coronavirus crisis.
