Police have questioned local councillor Matthew Ellery, a UK Independence Party councillor for the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, on suspicion of theft from Squirrels Collectors Centre in New Street last month.
The antiques shop is owned by his father, who just happens to be Alan Stone, the Basingstoke UKIP branch leader and this years candidate at the General Election on May 7th.
Ellery has now been bailed until May 14, a week after the General Election.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: “A 21-year-old man from Basingstoke has been arrested on suspicion of theft. He has been released on bail pending further inquiries.”
Following the resignation of Labour’s David Eyre last May, Ellery was elected as a councillor in a by-election for the seat. Despite this success, the 21 year old has a history of causing controversy within UKIP after he posted offensive comments to his social media. He described women living in Basingstoke as “pug ugly” on Facebook while campaigning to be elected a councillor last year which led to him being temporarily suspended while party officials investigated his behaviour.
However, voters still elected Ellery, who was a student at Bournemouth University at the time, to the council. His term of office runs until May 2016.
Ellery is currently free to continue as a councillor while the allegations are under investigation. Legally however, it states under the Local Government Act and our constitution that, a councillor cannot be disqualified unless they are convicted of an offence and sentenced to imprisonment for three months or more.
WINOL approached Ellery for a comment on his arrest but he did not respond.
———————————————-
Lucy Florence Wilson 274 words
This is an extra report to be submitted as part of my FYP alongside my other three reports, my profile constituency package on Basingstoke, my showreel and my critical reflection of the GE 2015 WINOL special show.
Loosely defined 