PARTY politics should have no place at Launceston Town Council, says mayor Cllr Brian?Hogan.

His comment followed last week’s announcement that four party political candidates are seeking vacant seats on the town council.

Cllr Hogan told the full council:?“I am a little aggrieved some of the candidates for the town council are standing under a political banner.

“My understanding of this town council is it’s non-political and it’s my belief politics shouldn’t come into town council affairs.”

Former mayor Cllr Dave Gordon said councillors had ‘an allegiance to a party of some description’, but added: “Party politics hasn’t got any place around this table and it should stay that way.”

Cllr John Conway, who stood as a UKIP candidate in?Central?Devon at the General Election in?May, said: “I make no secret of my politics. What I would like to underline is if you have more than one member of this council who is under the same political flag as someone else you can then legally adopt a group structure and I don’t want to see that on this council.

“I vote according to my conscience and what I believe in. It’s what this council is about — it’s what is right for Launceston.”

Residents will be going to the polls on January 14 for three town council vacancies in the Central ward.

The candidates are: John William Allman, Christian People’s Alliance; Val Bugden-Cawsey, Conservative; Paula Bullen, Liberal Democrats; Kirk Denton, Liberal Democrats.

There will also be a Cornwall Council by-election on the same date, Thursday, January 14, to select a new councillor for the Launceston Central division. The town and Cornwall Council seats fell vacant with the resignation of Alex Folkes.

The by-election candidates are: John William Allman, Christian People’s Alliance; Val Bugden-Cawsey, Conservative; Roger Creagh-Osborne, Green Party; Gemma Massey, Liberal Democrats.

Mr Creagh-Osborne is currently a Launceston Town Councillor.

Cllr Hogan, who stressed he was giving his personal opinion, said: “Some people think town councillor and Cornwall Councillor go hand in hand. I think if you are a town councillor you work for the town. There would perhaps be a conflict if you work for two councils.”

Cllr Creagh-Osborne, who was elected unopposed to the town council earlier this year, said: “When I stood for the previous by-election I did put a party label on.

“I entirely agree with you, we are all here for the good of the town, but it’s a very useful way of letting people know where you are coming from and what you think about things. It tells you something about someone’s background and I do think that’s valuable.

“I do think on this level of council it’s irrelevant once you are here.”

Despite standing as a political candidate, Mrs Bugden-Cawsey told the Post she agreed with Cllr Hogan’s comments that the town council should be about what’s best for the people of the town.

“I originally was going to stand as an independent candidate for the town council. A certain party which has held a majority in the town forever has made the town council a political thing. There is no doubt about that.”

Mrs Bugden-Cawsey said she would not find it a conflict of interest to be both a Cornwall and Launceston town councillor: “I see it as a huge strength that I will be able to take up issues in the town to Cornwall Council itself and if that doesn’t work I can go direct to Scott Mann MP, and he can bring it up in Parliament, as he has done in Prime Minister’s Question Time about the medical centre.”

John Allman said that being a member of the Christian People’s Alliance and the CPA candidate for Cornwall Council, he felt it would be wrong to hide it in his town council nomination.

He said the voters of the town council’s Launceston Central Ward and Cornwall Council’s Launceston Central Division were ‘the exact same people’.

“How could there be a conflict of interests for a councillor who was representing exactly the same voters’ interests on both?” he asked.

Asked why he was standing under a political banner, Liberal Democrat town council candidate Kirk Denton, of the Westgate Inn, said: “As a licensee, as a publican, I feel that the Liberal Democrats have fought my corner and that’s solely the reason why.”

Paula Bullen said she was standing as a Liberal Democrat as it is the party ‘I am committed to’.

She added: “I have no other agenda but to be elected and to help local people with local issues. I support the Liberal Democrats as they have helped tremendously in the education sector, in which I work.”