Waltham Forest recount: judge to report to election court

By Helen Duffett | Fri 6th August 2010 - 4:40 pm

The result of the election recount for High Street ward in Waltham Forest is now expected to be announced early in September.

The recount took place in private last Friday before a judge at the High Court after a member of the public spotted a potential error at the original count on May 6. It was thought that 1,000 votes may have been mistakenly added to each of the Labour candidates’ tallies.

If this was the case, it would have led to Labour’s Steve Terry being elected instead of Liberal Democrat Mahmood Hussain.

From the Waltham Forest Guardian:

The judge is now expected to draft a report for a specially constituted election court, which will then declare the result.

The votes for elected Labour councillors were announced on May 7 as follows: Liaquat Ali (3,322), Clare Coghill (3,185) and Steve Terry (2,932). But their actual votes could have been 1,000 less each, meaning votes cast for Liberal Democrat Mahmood Hussain (2,043) would have exceeded Steve Terry’s by 111 votes.

In May the Liberal Democrats sent an election petition to the High Court.

Waltham Forest Council said the result of the recount is not expected to be announced before the end of August.

The result of the May election still stands until the election court declares its decision.

The council said that all those present at the hearing last week were required by the court to sign a secrecy declaration not to disclose anything about the hearing until the result is officially announced or they will be in contempt of court.

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