HARWICH: Councillor should come clean over where she lives

Cllr Clair Callender (Con)
Cllr Claire Callender (Con)

Harwich’s Labour councillors are concerned that Conservative councillor, Claire Callender, is concealing the fact that she no longer lives locally.

Cllr Callender resigned her seat on Harwich Town Council in 2013 but remains a TDC councillor for Harwich West Central Ward. A chance conversation with Labour colleagues from Suffolk at a recent meeting has now revealed that Cllr Callender has been living in Ipswich for at least a year although she is still showing Mayes Lane in Ramsey as her address on the TDC web site and in the newly published TDC diary.

Ipswich Labour Party encountered Cllr Callender whilst conducting street canvassing and mentioned to colleagues in Harwich that they were surprised to find a councillor for Harwich West Central Ward living in Ipswich.

Whilst Harwich’s Labour councillors acknowledge that there is nothing illegal in remaining on Tendring District Council having moved to Suffolk, they do believe that Cllr Callender should not be hiding the fact from the residents she has been elected to represent.

Leader of the Labour Group on TDC, Cllr Ivan Henderson, says, “If Cllr Callender believes she can represent the residents of West Central Ward from Ipswich then she is legally entitled to do so. However, she should be open about the fact that she is doing so and not be showing a Ramsey address for council purposes.”

For further information please contact Ivan Henderson on 07889 367822