Sunday, 22 July 2012

Legal News (1)

While doing a bit of housekeeping, Cneifiwr accidentally deleted a post with this headline. Many thanks to Emlyn Uwch Cych for saving the day by fishing out the original:

Investigations into an alleged breach of electoral law by one of Carmarthenshire's recently elected Independent councillors have now been passed by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service, Cneifiwr understands.

Councillor Ieuan Wyn Davies was elected to represent Llanybydder, although the ballot paper gave a home address in Swansea.

For anyone not sure of their geography, Llanybydder is just about as far away as you can get from Swansea in Carmarthenshire, a distance according to the AA of 45 miles.

Of course, Cllr Davies may still qualify under one of the following provisions, but Inspector Knacker seems to have his doubts:

•You are a registered local government elector in the local authority area, both on the day you are nominated and on election day. You can check whether you are registered by contacting the Electoral Registration Officer at your local council.
•You have occupied, either as an owner or a tenant, any land or premises in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day you are nominated and election day.
•Your main or only place of work during the 12 months before the day you are nominated and election day has been in the local authority area.
•You have lived in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day you are nominated and election day.
Under the second of these, you could rent an acre or two of rough grazing somewhere in Carmarthenshire and plonk a couple of sheep on it in order to stand for election.

Let's hope for Cllr Davies's sake that evidence of these sheep or one of the other qualifications turns up in time to prevent a prosecution and by-election. Or perhaps Mr Davies was one of the thousands who commute daily from Swansea to the international business hub of Llanybydder, clogging up the lanes.

Llanybydder is famous for its horse fairs, which are held on the last Thursday of every month, but anyone wishing to buy a donkey could do worse than head up there. I remember hearing a farmer from Llandeilo telling Dai Jones Llanilar on the popular Cefn Gwlad* that you could never go wrong with a donkey as an investment.

* For English readers, Cefn Gwlad is a tiny bit like Countryfile, only without the Range Rovers and green wellies.

1 comment:

Emlyn Uwch Cych said...

The original post (still on my Google Reader):

Investigations into an alleged breach of electoral law by one of Carmarthenshire's recently elected Independent councillors have now been passed by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service, Cneifiwr understands.

Councillor Ieuan Wyn Davies was elected to represent Llanybydder, although the ballot paper gave a home address in Swansea.

For anyone not sure of their geography, Llanybydder is just about as far away as you can get from Swansea in Carmarthenshire, a distance according to the AA of 45 miles.

Of course, Cllr Davies may still qualify under one of the following provisions, but Inspector Knacker seems to have his doubts:

•You are a registered local government elector in the local authority area, both on the day you are nominated and on election day. You can check whether you are registered by contacting the Electoral Registration Officer at your local council.
•You have occupied, either as an owner or a tenant, any land or premises in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day you are nominated and election day.
•Your main or only place of work during the 12 months before the day you are nominated and election day has been in the local authority area.
•You have lived in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day you are nominated and election day.
Under the second of these, you could rent an acre or two of rough grazing somewhere in Carmarthenshire and plonk a couple of sheep on it in order to stand for election.

Let's hope for Cllr Davies's sake that evidence of these sheep or one of the other qualifications turns up in time to prevent a prosecution and by-election. Or perhaps Mr Davies was one of the thousands who commute daily from Swansea to the international business hub of Llanybydder, clogging up the lanes.

Llanybydder is famous for its horse fairs, which are held on the last Thursday of every month, but anyone wishing to buy a donkey could do worse than head up there. I remember hearing a farmer from Llandeilo telling Dai Jones Llanilar on the popular Cefn Gwlad* that you could never go wrong with a donkey as an investment.

* For English readers, Cefn Gwlad is a tiny bit like Countryfile, only without the Range Rovers and green wellies.