WITH voters going to the polls this month for a Basildon Council by-election, the local Reform group have expressed concern about the conduct of the authority's Labour leader, Cllr Gavin Callaghan.

The by-election in St Martins ward, which Cllr Callaghan also represents, will take place on Thursday, 17 July following the resignation of Labour's Maryam Yaqub.

Ahead of it, the Reform group – who enjoyed success in a Basildon by-election last month – say they are calling on the police and Basildon Council to carry out full investigations into allegations they are making, suggesting Cllr Callaghan is in breach of a number of rules – including election leafleting guidelines.

The first concern expressed in a statement released by Reform's Jack Duffin, a former chief of staff at Reform's London HQ at Millbank and now the Reform UK Essex Campaign Manager, is that Cllr Callaghan has launched his own PR and communications company in Basildon, but has not declared the fact in his register of interests.

The claim was made after the incorporation of New Towns Network Ltd, based at 10 Hammond Close, Langdon Hills, on Thursday, 29 May. Councillors are required to register any employment or business carried out by them within Basildon Borough or connected to council business within 28 days.

Cllr Callaghan's register of interests today (Thursday, 3 July), shows two other companies he is associated with, but New Town Network is not listed, even though it is 36 days after incorporation. 

Reform's statement says: "Failure to register or disclose within the statutory timeframe is a criminal offence. Residents are left to question what he is hiding, and does his business interests conflict with his role as the council leader. This matter is now with the police."

Reform, which repeatedly misspelled Cllr Callaghan's name in their release, also allege impropriety and election-law-breaking because a recent leaflet distributed within the ward, when an election had been declared, did not carry a political imprint and uses his councillor email. However, it does not mention the by-election.

Reform is insistent the poll and leaflet are connected, its statement saying: "Both are clear breaches of election rules. For someone as experienced in politics as Gavin Callaghan, it shows a clear pattern of behaviour that the rules do not apply to him."

James McMurdock's visit to a Pitsea cafe prompted criticism of a local community group by Cllr Gavin Callaghan.

Reform have also highlighted a social media post and exchange of comments by Cllr Callaghan, alleging the council leader is using his authority to threaten businesses if they support Reform.

The Facebook challenge to Cllr Callaghan's culpability relates to a Facebook post by Mother's Kitchen Cafe on Felmore's End, Pitsea, detailing a visit by South Basildon and East Thurrock MP James McMurdock.

Mothers Kitchen is a popular and busy community-run group managed by Maz Salih, which Cllr Callaghan has threatened will be boycotted by the council if it promotes further activities by Mr McMurdock's there.

Cllr Callaghan interjected into comments on the post by referring to a previous and now much publicised criminal conviction imposed on the MP for assaulting a former girlfriend. Cllr Callaghan says: "Shameful. I wonder what his victim thinks about this. He savagely beat her outside a nightclub and lied about it. You promote him. You'll never work with Basildon Council again."

The criticism is continued by Cllr Callaghan's wife Emma, who is also a Labour councillor, who said: "Maz is well aware of McMurdock's background as we discussed it during a meeting back in January this year. I am shocked and disappointed that Mother's Kitchen would promote him so enthusiastically."

Reform say: "Cllr Callaghan has been using his position as council leader to publicly threaten a Community Interest Company in Basildon because it welcomed its MP for a visit.

"We are sure that if Keir Starmer came to Basildon and had photographs with charitable organisations, Gavin Callaghan would not be threatening them in the same way."

And Reform have suggested Cllr Callaghan is using his leader's position to change work schedules to carry out work in the St Martin's ward ahead of the election.

Cllr Gavin Callaghan (left) has been accused of manipulating street cleaning to support and election campaign.

It says: "We have received multiple reports that council street cleaning teams have recently been diverted from across Basildon to in and around St Martin's ward, where the by-election is taking place, for an eight-week blitz of the area.

"An FOI has been submitted to get more information on how and why this decision was made. Were any of the Labour Councillors involved in this, as it would be deeply concerning if they were using council resources to aid their election efforts?"

Mr Duffin, a former Thurrock councillor who stood as a UKIP, Thurrock Independent Group, Conservative and independent councillor during his eight years on the authority, is at the forefront of Reform's Westminster team which includes of South Basildon and East Thurrock MP James McMurdock, for whom he used to work directly.

The statement he issued adds: "We hope the Labour Party nationally will follow their lead and carry out an investigation of their own.

"This is a very worrying pattern of behaviour from Gavin Callaghan, Labour's Council Leader in Basildon.

"If it was just one of these, then it could be an honest mistake, but he seems to believe that the rules don't apply to him.

"The above is just the start. When knocking on doors and speaking to residents, we hear many more worrying stories. We will look to bring these forward at a later time with supporting evidence. Basildon is broken. Reform will fix it."

Cllr Callaghan has not responded to a direct approach from Basildon Nub News to comment.

However, Basildon Council issued the following statement today: "The Localism Act requires a councillor to notify their Monitoring Officer of any disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) within 28 days of becoming aware of it and if that is the case then we expect Cllr Callaghan to be aware and to comply.

Cllr Gavin's self-promotional leaflet breaks no rules say the council.

"The leaflet is not an election material rather it is something to explain to residents in his ward and businesses how they can contact him in his role as their ward councillor. 

"The issues concerning Mother's Kitchen can be clearly discerned on the thread on the Facebook page. But if the complainant wants to make a formal complaint, they can complete a form to make their objections known and it will be looked into. The form can be accessed here: Complaint against a Councillor - Basildon

"We cannot comment on the comments about street cleansing teams being moved elsewhere, but we will gladly respond to an FOI as is common practice. Councillors are not involved in operational matters – that is the sole preserve of council managers."

Cllr Callaghan's 'outing' of Mr McMurdock's controversial historic actions as a young man has a slight echo of his own past, though not one that includes criminality.

Gavin Callaghan's university pictures got him into the national press.

In 2015 when he was 26 and branded a 'rising Labour star' Mr Callaghan was featured on national media following a series of pictures being published on a Twitter account called 'Political Truth'. At the time he was Labour's general election candidate.

One of the pictures showed him fondling a woman's breasts, and in another lying on top of a woman, appearing to simulate sex.

He was highly criticised by political rivals who questioned his suitability to be a general election candidate.

In responseat the time, Mr Callaghan dismissed the photographs as 'part of growing up at university'.

He also warned undergraduates to be wary of what they were photographed doing, if they were considering a subsequent career in politics.

He said: "They were taken when I was 19 at private parties while at university. I know some people spend their whole lives preparing and expecting to become an MP from the age of four, but that's not the case with me. 

Twitter pointed the press in the direction of young political hopeful Gavin Callaghan in 2016.

"What relevance this has to my standing for Parliament seven years later, I'm not quite sure? But I suppose this a lesson to any working-class kid growing up who thinks they may stand for public office one day.

"Whatever you do, don't have a life before you enter the world of Westminster. Embarrassing photographs could come back to bite you."

Craig Rimmer, the Conservatives' Essex Area Chairman, commented on the cross-party bickering by saying: "Clearly Labour and Reform have beef with each other but we are trying to avoid any tit for tat personal attacks as the voters are sick of this type of politics.

"Our priority is to stop the destruction of our town centre which has seen shops ripped out by the Labour administration in favour of monster sized tower blocks.

"We are also highly concerned by Labour's spending spree that is racking up debt and making Basildon close to bankruptcy!"

Candidates in the by-election are:

Elizabeth Jane Atkinson (Labour).

Simon John Breedon (Social Democratic Party)

Andrew Buxton (Independent Trade Unionist and Socialist Candidate)

Michael Chandler (Liberal Democrats)

Sam Journet (Reform UK)

Ellie Matthewman (Green Party)

Deepak Roy (Conservative)

Details of the by-election in St Martins on Thursday, 17 July, can be found via this link.