Lollipop lunacy!
Would-be councillor facing police probe after he forgot to declare in election that he helped pupils cross road
A WOULD-BE councillor who forgot to declare his part-time job as a lollipop man is facing a police probe.
Peter Dickenson stood as the Tory candidate for a seat in Weymouth and was elected last week with 54 per cent of the vote, but was forced to quit immediately.
He believes a political rival made a complaint to Dorset County Council’s elections officer – and then the police – in the run-up to the poll. Mr Dickenson’s ten-houra-week position meant he was ineligible to stand because he already worked for the authority in which he stood as a candidate.
Dorset Police confirmed it had received a complaint of a ‘possible election offence’ against Mr Dickenson on December 20 but
‘Only being done for political purposes’
said the matter had to be put on hold until after the election.
Mr Dickenson said: ‘I am elated and gutted at the same time. I won the election but then had to immediately resign. I am a lollipop man two hours a day and I do get paid by Dorset council. I love doing the job and helping the kids.
‘I don’t want to give it up but... I may have to resign the lollipop role so I can stand later in the year.’
He said he did not realise the rule he was in breach of – which covers all local authorities – even existed.
Mr Dickenson mans a crossing near St Andrews’ Primary School in Weymouth. The retired prison officer, who is also a town councillor, won the Littlemoor and Preston seat with 1,237 votes, beating ex-BBC journalist Simon Clifford of the Liberal Democrats by 404 votes. Labour’s Steve Brown finished third with 232 votes.
Mr Dickenson previously said he made a ‘genuine mistake’ in not mentioning the role on the nomination paperwork, having publicly declared the position on Weymouth Town Council’s register of member’s interests three years ago. He said nobody from the elections team had contacted him about it.
Mr Dickenson has even offered to carry out his school crossing duties for free if it will allow him to stand again when the by- election is restaged in May. He added: ‘To report this directly to the police without contacting me first out of courtesy has caused a great deal of upset. While I have made a mistake I feel this is only being done for political purposes.’
Mr Clifford could not be contacted yesterday. But local Lib Dem councillor Ryan Hope claimed the invalid by- election had cost the taxpayer £13,000.
Mr Dickenson’s wife Joanna, 64, a retired dentist, also successfully stood as a Tory candidate for Weymouth Town Council on the same polling day and beat the same two Lib Dem and Labour candidates.
The elections were held following the sudden death of councillor Tony Ferrari, 70, in November.