Pressure mounting for Holland to quit

PRESSURE is mounting on rebel Tory councillor Graham Holland to resign his seat and "go quietly".

But the Tory councillor for Lamorbey ward on Bexley Council, told the News Shopper on Monday he intends to continue his fight to be selected as a Conservative candidate for the new Sidcup Central ward.

At a meeting on Monday at Conservative Central Office, Cllr Holland says he was told the Old Bexley and Sidcup Conservative Association would "pack" any extraordinary meeting called by him, to make sure he did not win the vote.

And in a veiled threat, he says he was told if his Tory Party membership was withdrawn, he would not be able to requisition an extraordinary meeting. In that case, he says, other members will do it for him.

Cllr Holland was selected on October 13 to fight the new Sidcup Central ward in next year's borough elections.

But two days later, he was told by the association that he was not a fit or proper person to be a Tory councillor because he had been behind with his council tax payments several times.

He says he has nothing to hide and would welcome a chance to air his case in public.

After failing two weeks ago to persuade the association's executive committee to reverse its decision to deselect him, Cllr Holland is now collecting signatures from 50 paid-up association members, to requisition an extraordinary meeting of all association members.

Cllr Holland says that at Monday's Central Office meeting with association chairman, Mike Crouch, and south east agent Christine Bedier, he was told they wanted him to stand down from any more interest or activity in next year's elections.

They said they did not want him to air his grievances publicly because "things would come out into the open which would embarrass him," he claimed.

He says there are none, and wants the association to make public any "embarrassing information" it claims to have about him. But he says Mr Crouch admitted he was trying to "build up as damaging a case as possible".

Cllr Holland says many people believe his de-selection was a direct result of council leader Mike Slaughter coming fifth out of the six choices for the three candidates for Sidcup Central. (He was subsequently selected for Longlands ward).

He said that while he confirmed his continuing loyalty to the Tory Party, he would not back down from his fight to be reinstated as a Tory candidate for Sidcup Central.

Mr Crouch, in a statement said Cllr Holland had received 10 summonses in his 23 years as a councillor, for being two months behind with his council tax.

"We need to have councillors who adhere to the rules accepted by law abiding citizens," he said. He added that any claims that the action against Cllr Holland was motivated by Cllr Slaughter were "absolute nonsense".

November 28, 2001 9:40

Linda Piper