Bromley LibDems have selected local councillor Ben Abbotts as their candidate for the pending Bromley & Chis by-election. I recall delivering leaflets with Ben in Orpington prior to the general election and he seemed a thoroughly nice chap – best of luck to him. He was our PPC in Sevenoaks at the last election and succeeded in overtaking Labour to move into second place in that seat.
The LibDem by-election HQ is now open on Bromley High Street.
I can see the badges now after ‘I’ve Gorn to Moray’ step up ‘I’ve Ben to Bromley’
“local councillor Ben Abbotts”
He is councillor for Cloch House, at the far end of the Beckenham constituency. He is not local to Bromley & Chislehurst.
He is a member of the local council and the decisions he is involved with as a councillor affect Bromley & Chis regardless of whether his ward is in the constituency.
I suspect he lives rather closer to the constituency than Bob Neill…
Bob Neill is the local representative on the GLA, covering Bromley & Chislehurst.
Abbots is a councillor for another connurbation in the borough. If the situation were reversed the Lib Dem literature would be full of stuff about “the Conservatives’ candidate from Beckenham”.
Ben Abbots LIVES in Bromley & Chislehurst constituency; the Tory and Labour candidates do not. Where you live is what matters in determining whether you are ‘local’ or not. He lives there – so he’s local.
You appear to be the only person claiming outright that he lives in the constituency.