Mayor kicked out of Tories (From Gazette & Herald)

Mayor kicked out of Tories

THE town mayor of Malton, Coun Ann Hopkinson, has been kicked out of the Conservative party after standing against official Tory candidates in last Thursday's Ryedale District Council elections.

Mrs Hopkinson, who described herself as a life-long member of the party, said she intended to stand as a party candidate in the Malton ward but, because of a misunderstanding over nomination dates, she had not got her nomination form signed by officials of the party.

As a result, Mrs Hopkinson stood without the party label or description. She lost the election by 71 votes.

However, she said: "I don't really believe the party wanted me as a candidate for the election."

Mrs Hopkinson said she intends to appeal against the decision to expel her from the party and has already contacted Ryedale's Tory MP John Greenway.

She said there had been confusion because she did not have the electoral roll numbers of her counter-signatories when she met the Conservative agent, Coun Pamela Anderson.

In the Malton ward election, the Liberal Democrats took all three seats, while Mrs Hopkinson, a member of Malton Town Council for the past four years, was ahead of the three official Conservative candidates in the seven-cornered fight.

"I am shocked and dismayed to have been expelled from the party," she said. Mrs Hopkinson's family has long associations with the party.

Her uncle, Charles Robinson, was chairman of York Conservatives several years ago, and a former Sheriff of York, while her mother was a member of Malton Urban District Council and the then North Riding County Council representing the party. Her father was the agent for the Thirsk and Malton constituency of MP Sir Robin Turton.

Miss Anderson, in a letter to Coun Hopkinson, who has been a patron of the party, said that under the Conservative Party's national rules she was being expelled because as a member she had stood against official party candidates.

She said she was sad to have had to take the action but had no alternative under the party's constitution.

Updated: 12:33 Wednesday, May 07, 2003