IS IT REALLY A COINCIDENCE THAT THERE WERE 10 SPOILED PAPERS IN THE CROXTETH VOTE??

IS IT REALLY A COINCIDENCE THAT THERE WERE

10 SPOILED PAPERS IN THE

CROXTETH VOTE??

Election 2007: More details emerge of fracas at Liverpool count
May 5 2007
by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post
FURTHER details emerged last night of a fracas at Thursday’s election count involving Liverpool leader Warren Bradley and a Labour candidate – but everybody was telling a different story.
Police were called in as the high drama erupted after it became clear the vote count for Croxteth would be a close call between the Lib-Dems’ Phil Moffatt and Labour candidate Jim Noakes.
Tempers began to fray after returning officer Colin Hilton asked bystanders to step away from the table during a third recount.
Yesterday, Cllr Bradley, who had been watching the count with Cllr Moffatt, said police tried to protect him from Labour members. “The Labour candidate took umbrage that I was giving Phil some advice and tried to barge into me,” he said.
“The police stood by me all night as they were concerned that tensions within the Labour party were running high.”
But Mr Noakes, backed up by his party leader, Cllr Joe Anderson, said it was Cllr Bradley’s proximity to the count table which had started the scuffle.
“Colin Hilton told everyone except candidates and the agents to step away from the table,” he said.
“Warren Bradley wouldn’t move back. He wouldn’t let me get past to reach my agent who was at the other end of the table, so I said he should move back, and that’s when it all happened. It was handbags really.”
By 3am, it was obvious there was still discrepan-cies in the count totals and Mr Hilton announced the count was being abandoned.
Cllr Moffat was even-tually elected to the seat yesterday morning with 1,246 votes, just 10 more than Mr Noakes, who took 1,236. Ironically, there were 10 spoiled papers.