EXCLUSIVE: Local teacher James Tilden won Hackney Central for the Greens at the local elections despite being disqualified from the office
A Green councillor in Hackney has quit within days of winning his seat because he was voted in against electoral rules.
James Tilden was elected to represent Hackney Central ward with 1,681 votes following the council elections last Thursday (May 7), but his party failed to realise this breached electoral law before making him their official candidate.
As a primary school teacher in the one of the borough’s community schools, Mr Tilden is legally an employee of Hackney Council. Under Section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972, teachers cannot become a member of a local authority if they are employed by or their job is confirmed by the same local authority.
A spokesperson for Hackney Green Party told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) neither Mr Tilden nor the party were “aware of this eligibility issue when we submitted his nomination”.
“As soon as we found this out, we informed Hackney Electoral Services and he stopped campaigning,” the spokesperson added. However, under electoral law, ballots cannot be amended once the nomination deadline has passed, meaning there was no way to reverse his candidacy.
Mr Tilden was not present at the count when the returning officer announced he had been elected. On Tuesday (May 12), a Hackney Council spokesperson confirmed to the LDRS that he had resigned as a councillor and a by-election would be held in Hackney Central “in due course”.
The LDRS understands the council is considering holding the Hackney Central by-election in tandem with a separate by-election triggered by Green politician Zoë Garbett’s election as Mayor of Hackney.
Mayor Garbett also ran for re-election as a ward councillor for Dalston and won her seat, but had to resign so she can take up her new office as the borough’s executive leader. She has also resigned her London-wide seat on the London Assembly, which has been filled by Benali Hamdache.
The tumult in Hackney follows a similar in situation in the London Borough of Camden, where a local teacher also resigned immediately after his election as a Green councillor on Friday.
Camden Council informed the LDRS this issue was reported to the council and the local authority had raised this with the Green Party, but did not confirm whether a by-election would automatically ensue.
The council spokesperson said: “Due process now needs to follow but should a by-election be required this will be publicised in the usual way.”
The LDRS contacted Camden Greens for comment but by the time of writing they had not responded.
Got a story? Email josef.steen@reachplc or @jslondonldr on X.
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