Councillor ousted after 20 years

The political career of a Halesowen councillor who has served the town for more than 20 years has ended after he was ousted from his seat.

Harold Jackson, who has been a Conservative councillor for the Halesowen South ward since 1987, was replaced as the party’s candidate for May’s local elections by David Vickers, who acted as councillor for the Lye and Wollescote ward between 2004 and 2006.

The decision to replace councillor Jackson was taken during a secret ballot of members of the ward’s Conservative Association on Monday night.

Mr Jackson, chairman of the Halesowen Area Committee, has presided over a series of volatile recent meetings featuring angry scenes from people protesting against the closure of Cradley High School and the proposed closure of Cradley Leisure Centre. Today the councillor said he had no idea why he had been replaced.

He said during his time in office he had been faced with handling issues over the school closure which had become a “running sore.”

“The most recent meeting was a difficult meeting to control because we had a very rowdy audience. I had to threaten to suspend the meeting because of the actions of a small minority of the audience around some of the issues which have become a running sore.”

Councillor Jackson, who received an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List in 1990 for public and political services, said he was hurt to be ousted but would look back with pride at his political career. “I was obviously disappointed when I heard the decision, but you have to respect the decision of the association,”he said.

“I’m experiencing mixed feelings at the moment because it’s a way of life and I’ve been doing this ever since I was a young man.”

Mr Jackson served as a councillor in Smethwick and Warley for 14 years before moving to Halesowen. He also served as mayor on Warley County Borough Council and will continue to serve on Dudley Council until May.

A statement from the ward Conservative Association confirmed David Vickers would be standing as the candidate for Halesowen South.

“David is a former councillor of Dudley Metropolitan Borough and will be an asset for the people of Halesowen South,” it read.

“The committee thanks councillor Harold Jackson for his devoted service for many years.”