Residents anger at by-election

1.16.35am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 25th Jun 2008

Many local residents have contacted Oliver Brooks to complain that the Conservatives have caused an "unnecessary" by-election, just two months after voters last went to the polls.

One local resident wrote:

"Yet again my children have to take a day off school for an election, at a time when the government are saying that 'Every Day Matters' in education. This will mean that either my husband or I will have to take a day off work, or pay for child care and our children will lose out."

Local residents pay

The by-election has been caused by the local Conservative council leader and Christchurch councillor, Ian Clement, going off to a £124,364 a year job with Boris Johnson. This is just weeks after he was in charge of the local campaign against "Livingstone's cronies" and their highly paid City Hall jobs.

Oliver Brooks says: "Just two years ago when Mr Clement became the council leader he promised not to let local people down and to work for them.

"This by-election has been forced on local residents, causing unnecessary and costly inconvenience for thousands of people, so that Mr Clement can desert local people for a high paying City Hall job."