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A FLEETWOOD town councillor, elected as an independent, has said he is a member of the BNP.
A FLEETWOOD town councillor, elected as an independent, has said he is a member of the BNP.Brian Hunter was elected earlier this month as a member of the new town council.
But he insists he did not conceal his BNP membership in the run up to the election – and that his politics will not affect his performance on the
council.
Town Council chairman, Coun Ron Allen, has also backed his colleague and said he did not believe Coun Hunter's BNP membership would cause a problem.
Coun Hunter, from Fairway, said: "I have not sneaked in by the back door. People who know me know exactly who I am, it isn't something out of the blue to undermine the parish council.
"What has the BNP got to do with Fleetwood Town Council? Absolutely nothing. It's different altogether.
"This is a local issue and local people have to decide."
He will sit as an independent councillor on the town council.
Coun Allen, the town council's chairman, said: "I don't care about what has happened in the past.
"The important things is we all get on together and we all get stuck in and working.
"As far as I can see there is no animosity between any of the members.
"We are a non-political group and everyone knew that before they signed up. It was never going to be political."I hope to judge Coun Hunter on what he is going to do."
Fellow Fleetwood town councillor, Fr Paul Benfield, vicar of St Nicholas Church, said, at the time of the election, he was standing to prevent the BNP being elected.
He added: "I didn't want to see inappropriate people returned unopposed such as the BNP.
"I would have felt awful if they had got in and I had not stood."
BNP candidate James Clayton stood in the port's Warren ward.
He gained 336 votes, almost 700 votes behind the third-placed candidate.
Coun Paul Treece-Birch, who helped to defeat the BNP in Warren Ward, said he had stood simply because be wanted to be a parish councillor.
He said: "There is no controversy as far as I know. We are elected members and that's the end of it."
After living in Larkholme in Fleetwood for 35 years, Coun Hunter said he decided to stand as a town councillor because he believed the town was under-represented at grass-roots level.
He insisted party politics had nothing to do with his decision to stand.
About the BNP's policies and "whites only" rule Coun Hunter said: "I don't make the policies and I am sure no member in every political party agrees with every policy."
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Weather for Blackpool
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
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Wind direction: West
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