AN election candidate is promising to let the people decide whether he should stay in the role if voted in as a councillor.
Alex Colas, who is standing as an independent for Willesden Green ward at Brent Council’s elections in May, wants people to have the right to recall their elected members and has signed a pledge to be fully accountable, and is calling for other candidates to do the same.
Mr Colas said: “Willesden Green has suffered from absent and unresponsive councillors.
“We need better representation and more opportunities for people to participate in the democratic process.
“This pledge injects some direct democracy into our local politics and will serve as a warning to councillors that they cannot simply rest on their laurels in-between elections.”
Currently voters have no method of unseating their councillor and must wait until a councillor resigns or there is an election.
Mr Colas signed the following pledge: “I pledge to be fully accountable to residents if elected as a councillor. In the event of 51 per cent of the number of voters who participate in the election in the Willesden Green ward signing a petition for my recall, I will resign to force a by-election in order that voters can judge my record.”
Liberal Democrats put forward a similar idea at a national level, whereby constituents would be able to sack their MP but this was quashed by the Conservatives.
