19 May 2010
Early By-Election Expected in Chadwell
Mark Gittens, who was elected to represent Chadwell ward has been forced to resign as a Councillor because he is a teacher in a Redbridge school.
Local teachers are ineligible to stand for election to the local authority for which they work.
Bob Littlewood, newly elected Leader of the Labour Group of Councillors on Redbridge Council, commented:
“I am sure that I speak for the Labour Group and the Party in Redbridge in expressing great sympathy with Mark. We thought we had Redbridge’s first black Councillor and someone with ongoing experience of work in the community.
A number of people failed to realise that Mark was not eligible to stand before the election. We made an innocent mistake.”
The date of the by-election is to be announced.
