MARK Jenkinson has hit out an “absurd” decision to hold the General Election count for Penrith and Solway outside the boundaries of the new constituency.
The former MP for Workington, who has been selected as the Conservative candidate for the seat, also branded the local authority’s move an “insult” to voters.
Cumberland Council has opted to hold the count in Workington Leisure Centre, which is now part of the Whitehaven and Workington constituency.
Mark said: “As you might expect, I am speaking to hundreds of voters on the doorsteps – and they are as angry and mystified as I am by the nonsensical decision by Cumberland Council to hold the Count in Workington. The venue isn’t even within the boundaries of the new constituency.
“It is an insult to the residents of Penrith and Solway, many of whom already feel abandoned by the Labour-led Cumberland council and by the Lib Dem-led Westmorland and Furness council.
“This is another sign that the local authority doesn’t give a rat’s posterior what residents think – and they are happy to cut them out of the democratic process, both symbolically and literally by holding the Count somewhere else entirely.
“Logistically and practically, having the count in Workington makes zero sense. Give or take ten minutes, the Returning Officer’s Staff at places like Alston will undertake a one-and-a-half-hour drive to deliver the ballot papers. This is madness.
“It would have been infinitely more sensible to hold the count somewhere that is not only in the constituency, but also in a more central location within it – Penrith or Wigton would have been more logical choices.
“But once again, and true to form, it seems that the council has only thought about what’s best and most convenient for them rather than the electorate.
“It is the job of politicians and local authorities to put the people they serve first – instead of treating them as an afterthought, as they have in this case – and many others I could name.”
The General Election was announced by the Prime Minister on 22nd May, with Parliament dissolved on 30th May. The UK going to the polls on Thursday 4th July.
The Penrith and Solway constituency is made up of parts of the Cumberland Council local authority area as well as smaller parts of Westmorland and Furness.
However, Cumberland Council is the lead authority responsible for organising the count.
