Councillors Who Voted For Speechley

Conservatives Who Voted for Councillor W.J. Speechley

On Friday 24th May 2002 there was a recorded vote at Lincolnshire County Council regarding selection of the Leader of the Council. There was only one nomination and that was Councillor Jim Speechley with nobody standing against him. 33 Conservatives voted for Jim, no Conservative voted against with only 11 abstentions. This was after he had already been charged with criminal offences.

THE 33 COUNCILLORS WHO VOTED FOR W.J. SPEECHLEY

Edward Bliss - Heighington & Washingborough

PeterBray - Spalding Elloe

Ian Cartwright - Ruskington and Cranwell

Edna Chapman - Grantham North West

Edward Chapman - Colsterworth Rural

Neil Cooper - Wainfleet and Burgh

Ian Croft - Bourne Castle

David Dickinson - Sleaford

Dick Edgington - Skegness South

John Fisher - Sutton Elloe

Colin Fisher - Spalding West

Ian Fleetwood - Bardney & Cherry Willingham

Betty Harvey - Tattershall Castle

Colin Helstrip - Stamford West

Denis Hoyes -Woodhall Spa & Wragby

Charles Ireland - Welton Rural

Jean Johnson - Louth Rural North

Heather Judge - Boston Fishtoft

Brian Knight - Gainsborough Rural South

Jack Libell - Louth Marsh

Sheila Roy - Louth Wolds

Barry Singleton - Sleaford West and Leasingham

Christine Talbot - Bracebridge Heath and Waddington

Julia Taylor - Holbeach

Bernard Theobald - Market Rasen Wolds

Thomas Trollope-Bellew - Stamford Rural

Anthony Turner - North Wolds

Christopher Underwood-Frost - Scotter Rural

Pauline Watson - Louth North

William Webb - Holbeach Rural

Graham Wheat - Grantham North

Gordon Wilson - Ingoldmells Rural

Richard Yates - Skellingthorpe & Hykeham South

CONSERVATIVES WHO ABSTAINED FROM VOTING:

Patricia Bradwell - Billinghay & Metheringham

Nicholas Carter - Spalding South

Richard Day - Boston Rural

Martin Hill - Folkingham Rural

Michael Kennedy - Alford and Sutton

Edward Poll - Spalding East and Moulton

Bryan Powell - Boston Coastal

Peter Robinson - Market and West Deeping

Ivan Stimson - Spilsby Fen

Bill Wyrill - Bassingham Rural

Barry Young - Sleaford Rural South

CONSERVATIVES WHO WERE ABSENT:

William Aron - Horncastle & Tetford

Maureen Spencer-Gregson - Hough

Charles Strange - Ancholme Cliff

Terence Taylor - Boston South

All opposition (Labour, Liberal Democrats and Independent) Councillors voted against Councillor Jim Speechley being re-elected as Leader of the County Council. Four Conservative Councillors were absent from the proceedings

In April 2004, at Sheffield Crown Court, Jim Speechley was found guilty of misconduct in public office and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction and custodial sentence, following a hearing in November 2004. The trial and appeal hearing dealt with Speechley's ownership of land at Barbers Drove, Crowland, South Lincolnshire, and his involvement in the selection of a route for a £25 million bypass for the area.

Both courts were told that the planned A1073 bypass enclosed his land inside a possible development belt, and the Jury was asked to consider whether or not he had acted with a view to financial gain.

Speechley was released from prison under licence at the end of August 2004. He continued to serve as a member of Lincolnshire County Council prior to the appeal, and even attended a meeting wearing an electronic tag, but resigned from the Council after the court upheld his conviction. He was replaced as Leader by his friend and cohort, Ian Croft who, on the 18th March 2005, following the damning Audit Commission Corporate Governance Inspection which criticised his "weak leadership" was forced to resign along with his entire Executive.

Unfortunately, these events were hardly reported in the press in the South of Lincolnshire and even though hundreds of thousands of pounds of their council taxes were being squandered, many were unaware of the events in Lincoln. This website will hopefully redress that situation.