The four candidates standing to win the vacant Fazakerley seat on Liverpool Council have been confirmed.
Voters in the North Liverpool ward will go to the ballot box later this month, more than three months after former councillor Lindsay Melia vacated the seat. The previous member left her position after the hotly debated budget meeting of the local authority in which she became one of a number of Labour rebels to go against the party whip.
It was announced last month that both Labour and the newly formed Liverpool Community Independent group would be standing candidates. Helen Stephens was selected as the contender for the Labour group, hoping to increase their number at the Town Hall to 61.
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Ms Stephens’ candidacy was called into question by the Fazakerley Labour branch who claimed the party “rode roughshod” over its own rules in selecting her. Branch chair Ray Physick claimed that Ms Stephens, who had formerly stood as Labour’s candidate for Mossley Hill, was not eligible to be selected as the party’s representative having allegedly resigned weeks previously after failing to win selection for the Warbreck vacancy, which was taken by new councillor Sam East.
Mr Physick said had Ms Stephens resigned, she would not be able to stand under Labour Party rules which dictate any candidate must have 12 months continuous membership. The Labour Party told the ECHO the selection “was run in line with our rules and procedures.”
Laura Wharton has been nominated as the Liverpool Community Independents representative for the vote in what will be a first electoral test for the group since it was formed of eight existing councillors in March. The Liberal Democrats have announced that Jack Williams will be their candidate for June 30 and he will be joined on the ballot paper by Green Party member Paul Corry.
It is the third council by-election already in 2022, with Labour retaining two seats in Warbreck and Everton during polls in April. Following the resignation of Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne from his seat, his daughter Ellie held on to the position with 952 votes to her nearest challenger, and former Labour member, Kevin Robinson-Hale with 362.
The party was given an almighty scare in Warbreck however, with new Cllr Sam East seeing off the challenge of the Liberal Democrats’ Karen Afford by just 36 votes after former Cllr Cheryl Didsbury stepped down. Both new members made their Town Hall debuts at the annual general meeting of Liverpool Council earlier this week.
The Fazakerley ward is currently represented by two Labour members, Cllr Frazer Lake, cabinet member for social care and health, and Cllr Paul Brant, who was installed as assistant mayor and lead for finance on last month, following the energy contract fiasco that has engulfed the local authority.
