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Some Liberal Democrat councilors have been seen delivering some letters around Watford.
Most recent advice issued by the government on how to make local elections on May 6 “safe and secure” during lockdown has suggested that traditional leafleting campaigning can be carried out by delivering leaflets through post or commercial delivery services who are already operating – without causing additional circulation of campaigners.
However, revised leafleting advice in the wake of easing restrictions is expected to be announced soon.
But under the current restrictions, there has been a debate of leafleting as Liberal Democrat activists were accused of handing out political leaflets, instead of entirely relying on a delivery service.
Leading Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst has continuously stated legal advice that leafleting is a “voluntary service” that cannot “reasonably be undertaken from home,” and therefore exempt.
And he repeated leaflets were not sent out by volunteers, and instead by local commercial companies, with “one or two exceptions”.
Cllr Giles Medhurst claims the North Watford Focus were delivered by a paid company
The Labour Party meanwhile started leaflet distribution from February using the Royal Mail, while repeating that Liberal Democrat activists have hand delivered material in some capacity.
Over the course of January and February, the Watford Observer was aware of various sightings of some councillors delivering Liberal Democrat material.
Cllr Giles Medhurst claims these leaflets were sent by a paid delivery companies
Cllr Giles-Medhurst has denied activists hand delivering “political” items such as the ‘WatfordWideNews’ tabloid-styled newsletter and similar items – but has now admitted there have been circumstances where a few other Liberal Democrat materials have been hand delivered.
This would include the ‘Covid up-date & Annual Review’ letters and other “personally addressed” letters.
“Some of them I would have posted, to places that have been inaccessible,” he said when asked what an ‘exception’ was– exemplifying addresses that require postage in lobbies.
“You put the letter boxes in the lobby When I go out and do that, I wear a mask in the lobby.”
Cllr Giles Medhurst says these letters were paid for by delivery companies
And Cllr Giles-Medhurst has defended the group, saying that the material distributed by the few councillors would not have had political affiliation to the upcoming local elections and are instead “personal letters” or unrelated to campaigning.
According to the Liberal Democrat, the majority of materials are being delivered through local delivery companies.
He continued: “We have nothing to hide, we are keeping residents informed in a lowkey manner. This has cost us locally over £5,000 that in normal circumstances we wouldn’t have to spend. And clearly, it’s costing the Labour Party who have to use the Royal Mail as well.”
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Separate to sightings in Watford, Hertfordshire County Council leader David Williams stated he has reported Welham Green and Hatfield South Lib Dem councillor, Paul Zukowskyj, to the police following accusations of him flouting campaigning guidance.
In a Hertfordshire County Council meeting yesterday (February 23), Cllr Williams said: “It is essential that this still takes place in a Covid-secure way, in line with the guidance and the law, but until then let’s all be absolutely clear that the government’s stay at home guidance remains.
“So in the meantime I will be drawing Paul Zukowskyj’s actions and disregards for the lockdown rules to the attention of the police and the local monitoring officers.”
In the meeting, Cllr Williams also explained that he was reassured by Cllr Giles-Medhurst that Watford Lib Dems were following the rules.
In response, Watford Labour said: “As we are adhering to and obeying the stay-at-home message and because volunteers cannot deliver the much-valued and eagerly anticipated regular newsletter, we entered into a commercial arrangement with the Royal Mail who are experts and professionals in the field of delivering.
“The Royal Mail are going door-to-door doing their job in any event. The difference is the Liberal Democrats, as has been confirmed, have sent activists out to people’s doorsteps unnecessarily, who would not otherwise be there and had no need to be.
“Labour has been at pains to follow government and national guidance at all times.”
