General Discussion

Tactical Voting and the Reform effect inflicts more of this on the Constituency.

Awful selfie;

https://www.facebook.com/CllrMartinWrigley/

He's just been on Spotlight defending his hated scheme in Newton Abbot, what a smarmy git.  How can he hold so many posts and be an MP too?

@burnside. Exactly, you're asking the right question. I've heard of MPs double jobbing before, being a District or County Cllr, but never quadruple jobbing.

It must be pretty embarressing being in the Private Eye's Rotten Borough Secion within 2 weeks of being elected to parliament. The other 649 MPs will read the Eye and realize how illiberal and undemocratic he is. Hopefull the public will wake up at some point too!

He'll be taken to court over Queen St in Newton Abbot and he'll lose.

Take a look on the Dawlish Town Coucil website and see Wrigley's photo x 4 from Town Councillor al the way to MP - 'conflict of interest' isn't is in this bloke's vocabulary.

I cant say that Anne Marie Morris did anything benefical to or for Teignbridge, however the mannerism in which Mr Wrigley goes about buisness is appaulling. Does he not learn from previous peoples expereince. Dawlish went from parking on both sides so limited parking on one side and town failed to bloom. He is a walking liability. That said and the complete disgust in conflictions that this man is invovled in is beyond a joke. Step would should had been stepping down from all other commitments, and regardless of that no person in polictics or in terms of importance should ever report to a department where they are the lead resider again. Shocking. 

@TheObserver Absolutely, what's equally shocking is that his Lib Dem colleagues in DTC, TDC and DCC don't seem to care about what amounts to so many conflicts of interest with Wrigley as an elected member at every level of local government and on so many committees and now in Westminster. They think they're accountable to nobody but themsleves.

Local Government Association Guidelines state a Cllr devotes around 20 hours per week to the role on average. Given that being a MP is a full-time job with a salary of £91K per annum, how can he fulfil these other roles? How could he even fulfill them properly before becoming MP? Or will he just attend the requisite 2 meetings per annum in the Town, District and County Councils to avoid removal and therefore continue to pocket the Cllr allowances in addition to the MP's £91K salary whilst continuing to be such an appalling public servant? He's taking the piss and doing very well financially at the expense of the taxpayer.

Can he not be forced to stand down if a certain number of constituents sign a petition or is that only for an M.P. Can't believe people actually voted for this clown. You reap what you sow. 

@Knighton If a minimum of 1 in 10 of the electorate signed a petition it could be successful. According to the Recall of MPs Act 2015 the recall proceedings cannot be initiated by constituents themsleves in the UK, as the MP has to be found guilty of wrongdoing which fulfils certain criteria - being convicted of a criminal offence after having had all appeals heard. It appears the Speaker and then Returning Officer would then begin the petition process which would take place in locations, very much like polling stations. Some MPs leave parliament before it gets to petition, being judged by a Commons Committe or Independent Experts Panel.

More on wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recall_of_MPs_Act_2015  it seems recall is more straight forward in other countries.

I suppose it depends on the legal proceedings concerning Queen Street in Newton Abbot and the body of evidence being gathered by South Devon Alliance relating to governance; The Local Government Ombudsman has already flagged unlawful activity in the Lib Dem run District Council. If there are further examples there will be a case for criminal convictions relating to elected members and Council Officers. No doubt Wrigley will come under further scrutiny.

This is what happens with first-past-the-post. Only 31% of people who actually went to the polls actually voted for Wrigley. That's just over 20% of the electorate as a whole. We have to reap what those voters sow in a flawed undemocratic electoral system.