A veteran Liverpool Labour councillor who has been blocked from standing again for the party will run as an independent candidate in upcoming elections.
Cllr Gerard Woodhouse has represented the County ward in the north of the city for Labour since 2010. He is well known around the city for running the L6 Community Centre in Everton, which operates a food bank, a baby bank and other services to support some of the most deprived communities in the city and country.
He was told at the end of last year that after a selection process, he would not be allowed to stand for Labour again in the upcoming local elections. He has since lost an appeal against that decision.
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Cllr Woodhouse, who claims he is a victim of a purge of supporters of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, has now announced he will challenge Labour in those elections by standing as an independent candidate for the County ward seat.
In a lengthy statement, Cllr Woodhouse said: "As you all know, I was stopped from standing as Labour candidate for County Ward, the ward I have represented for 13 years but been active in for 16 years, losing by 7 votes in 2008.
"I have not been removed due to complaints but due to my campaigning, putting letters through doors in the south of the city. I had medical notes, lost my mum and dad and had major surgery.
"When my dad died the Labour Group on the council didn't even send me a card but they are happy taking my £74 subs each month to pay for the leaflets in the south of the city. If I wanted to put a leaflet out they would bill me and always have done."
In his statement, Cllr Woodhouse aimed a number of criticisms at Sheila Murphy, the former Labour campaign director who has been brought in to oversee improvements in the Liverpool Labour group after a damning investigation into its culture in 2021.
Speaking about some of his council colleagues, he added: "I have to ask where were all these councillors during Covid? They were not on the front line. Every person who needed food got it, we and I say we - my two colleagues and I were on the front line."
Cllr Woodhouse was one of 14 elected members named in a Liverpool ECHO investigation last week which uncovered a 'back door' culture at the council where officers would rescind councillor's parking fines without using the formal processes. Cllr Woodhouse was named as having five tickets rescinded between 2015 and 2020.
Addressing the investigation, Cllr Woodhouse said: "I can honestly say it was custom and practice to hand them in and that's what I did straight to committee services. Everyone of my tickets were either when I was at Planning or or Licensing / Taxi committee or the Lord Mayor's charity committee, mine were not for going shopping or eating out I was on council business and it was only over the last month I got to know how many were involved because I was not in the "in crowd".
Cllr Woodhouse added: "In view of all above and the way my colleague and I have been treated and the Labour Party to just take County for granted I will be standing as an independent for County to carry on supporting my residents."
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