Gazette News
Adrian Naylor not chosen to defend his seat
10:30am Thursday 16th February 2012
A former senior Conservative councillor has been rejected by his group to defend his seat at Bradford Council’s elections in May The decision to oust Coun Adrian Naylor was made in a secret ballot by a panel of judges selected by the Keighley and Ilkley Conservative Association.
Coun Naylor, who was a member of the powerful executive when the Conservatives led the Council, has lodged an appeal.
A hearing was due to take place last Friday but it was adjourned as Coun Naylor demanded his appeal be considered by an independent panel.
Dorothy Clamp, chairman of the Keighley and Ilkley Conservative Association, said: “The party has said that everybody, including sitting councillors, need to be approved by a panel made up of various people to see whether they should go on to stand for selection for a seat next May.
“There were ten people who went through this process, including myself. Each person was asked four questions and there was a secret ballot on each person. As a result, Adrian was not approved.”
Coun Clamp said Coun Naylor was allowed to appeal against the process but would not be able to appeal against the decision.
She stressed Coun Naylor had not been de-selected and would remain a councillor until the election in May. She said she could not comment on why Coun Naylor had not been approved.
“The appeal has been adjourned on the request of Coun Naylor who wants it heard by an independent group of people,” she added.
Nine councillors are now on the approved list to stand for election in May. Councillor Russell Brown and Councillor Anne Hawkesworth will defend their seats in the Worth Valley and Ilkley wards respectively.
The remaining seven candidates will be able to apply for which ward they want to stand for. The wards to be contested are Keighley East, Keighley West, Keighley Central and Craven.
Coun Naylor said he could not comment until after the appeal process was completed.
Coun Naylor, 52, was elected as one of Bradford Council’s Craven ward representatives in 2006 during a by-election following the death of David Emmott. In 2008, Coun Naylor was returned to his Craven ward seat with 67.2 per cent of the vote.
During the same month, he was appointed the Council’s executive member for regeneration and economy following the sacking of his fellow ward councillor Andrew Mallinson.
He held the role of regen chief until May 2010, when Labour gained control of the Council. During that time, Coun Naylor helped secure funding for City Park, was involved with the development of Buck Lane Science Park in Baildon and was behind plans to build the first council houses in the district for 30 years at Pavilion Gardens in West Bowling.
Bradford Council’s Kickstart programme was the most successful programme for small businesses in the country during the time Coun Naylor was head of regeneration with more small businesses launching in Bradford than anywhere else in England.