70. Mrs. Adamsonasked the Home Secretary whether his attention had been drawn to the action of the Surbiton Borough Council in the filling of a vacancy caused by the retirement of a labour councillor away on active service; whether he is aware that, in spite of strongly expressed public opinion, the local authority refused to accept the nomination of the local Labour party and elected another person instead; and whether he will make representations to 779 the local authority as to the necessity of administering the recent Act in the spirit in which it was passed?
§ Sir J. AndersonMy attention was drawn to this case, but I did not feel that I could intervene. I understand that the councillor elected had proved herself during previous service to be a valuable member of the council and only ceased to be a member of the local Labour party because her candidature was not endorsed by the party. In general, no doubt, councils would be well advised—in carrying out the standstill arrangement which was approved by this House—to be guided by the nominations of the parties to which outgoing members belonged, but I have no authority to lay down any hard and fast rule in this matter.
Mrs. AdamsonCan the right hon. Gentleman make representations to this council to the effect that they ought not to allow their personal wishes to interfere with the carrying out of the intentions and the spirit of the Act? And, further, will he make representations to them to redress the injustice which has been done to the Labour party in the filling of the next vacancy?
§ Sir J. AndersonNo, Sir, I cannot undertake to go outside my proper functions in the matter. I would suggest that local difficulties of that kind are best overcome by informal discussion.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonIs the right hon. Gentleman taking the view that, if the majority of the council select what it conceives to be a Labour member, it is carrying out the spirit of the undertaking arrived at by all parties of this House. Does he not think that he has some responsibility to make representation to the authority, and does he not realise that, if this thing is going to take place on the one side, there might, unfortunately, be spiteful reprisals on the other?
§ Sir J. AndersonI think I made it quite clear in my reply. I think the council would be well advised to carry out the spirit of the stand-still arrangement. I believe that very few cases of this kind have arisen, and, where they have arisen, they have usually yielded to the exercise of the good offices of the party agents on either side.