East London Green councillor quits straight after election victory for breaking rules

"A Green councillor in Hackney has quit within days of winning his seat because he was voted in against electoral rules. As a primary school teacher in the one of the borough's community schools, Mr Tilden is legally an employee of Hackney Council. Under Section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972, teachers cannot become a member of a local authority if they are employed by or their job is confirmed by the same local authority."

"A spokesperson for Hackney Green Party told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) neither Mr Tilden nor the party were aware of this eligibility issue when we submitted his nomination. As soon as we found this out, we informed Hackney Electoral Services and he stopped campaigning, the spokesperson added. However, under electoral law, ballots cannot be amended once the nomination deadline has passed, meaning there was no way to reverse his candidacy."

"On Tuesday, a Hackney Council spokesperson confirmed to the LDRS that he had resigned as a councillor and a by-election would be held in Hackney Central in due course. The LDRS understands the council is considering holding the Hackney Central by-election in tandem with a separate by-election triggered by Green politician Zoe Garbett's election as Mayor of Hackney."

"The tumult in Hackney follows a similar in situation in the London Borough of Camden, where a local teacher also resigned immediately after his election as a Green councillor on Friday. Camden Council informed the LDRS this issue was reported to the council and the local a"

A Green councillor in Hackney resigned within days of winning his seat after being found ineligible under Local Government Act 1972 rules. He was a primary school teacher employed by Hackney Council, and Section 80 prevents teachers from becoming members of a local authority that employs them or has confirmed their job. The Green Party said neither the candidate nor the party knew about the eligibility issue before nomination. After the problem was identified, electoral services were informed and campaigning stopped, but the candidacy could not be changed after the nomination deadline. A by-election will be held for Hackney Central, potentially alongside another by-election linked to Zoe Garbett becoming Mayor of Hackney. Similar eligibility problems occurred in Camden, where another teacher resigned after election.

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