Independent candidate Ian Smith is barred from Southport and Bootle town halls and prohibited from contacting council leader Marion Atkinson following harassment charges.
A council candidate has been banned from both Southport and Bootle town halls and is subject to a restraining order against the council leader. Ian Smith , 63, is standing as an independent candidate for the Litherland ward and is a former Labour member, according to his social media profiles.
However, it's now been confirmed Smith is subject to a number of restraining orders which were imposed following his appearance on harassment charges at Sefton Magistrates Court in March this year. Under the terms of the orders, Smith is prohibited from contacting Sefton Council's Labour leader Marion Atkinson, and is barred from entering both Southport Town Hall and Bootle Town Hall. He is also banned from contacting Labour councillor Liz Dowd - the wife of Bootle's MP, Peter Dowd.
Smith is further prohibited from entering the Atkinson Centre in Southport and Magdalen House in Bootle. All of the restraining orders remain in place until March 24, 2028. Speaking to the ECHO at his Litherland home, which currently bears a banner which says 'Vote Ian Smith' and includes a smiling picture of the candidate, Smith declined to comment about the restraining orders but confirmed he was appealing them. He added: 'I wasn't stopped from standing.
I believe in this area, believe in myself and everything I've stood for the last four years.
' And when asked how he would attend council meetings if elected because of his bans, Smith said 'Your guess is as good as mine. ' Smith has previously run for seats in Blundellsands, Litherland, Bootle, Linacre and St Oswald, either as an independent or as a member of the Workers Party of Britain. He also ran as an independent in the 2024 race to be mayor of the Liverpool City Region.
He most recently managed 27 votes in his bid to become a councillor in Blundellsands in 2025. Smith has pitched to address local issues like fly-tipping, pavement dog fouling, increased heavy goods vehicle emissions, as well as a pledge to protect gardens, parks and open spaces. The Labour Party declined to comment when approached for this story. The Sefton Council count on May 8 will take place at Aintree Racecourse.
All 66 seats across the borough will be up for grabs during the crunch set of local elections . In recent weeks the ECHO has covered the concerning social media activity of two Reform candidates in Sefton, as well as revealing how the party's Southport branch chair had mysteriously vacated his role ahead of the elections.
Larry Sweeney, who is believed to have been chair of the branch since the end of last year, had his name removed from the branch's website at the end of last month, with the party yet to comment on his position. Mr Sweeney is a candidate for Meols ward in Southport, with his bio posted by the party on Facebook stating he had stood back from his business to 'serve the residents of Meols'.
The local branch's website now reads: 'The branch chair is Xxx Xxxx.
' Reform's Mark Ormsby, who is standing for election in the Birkdale ward, has publicly shared posts from far-right figures Tommy Robinson and Paul Golding, the co-leader of fascist party Britain First, as well as posting a host of offensive and anti-Islam material. Meanwhile the ECHO found evidence that Ormsby's fellow council candidate, Bootle West's Jay Leslie Cooper, had posted vile views calling the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed, a 'hoax' and 'propaganda'.
His social media activity also showed a web of conspiracy theories about the 9/11 terrorist attack and Titan submersible implosion, as well as claims about the Labour government's role in the Southport attack. The ECHO made repeated efforts to contact both men but received no response. A Reform UK spokesperson told the ECHO the party was 'looking into the allegations'.
A Labour Party spokesperson said it was an 'insult to the people of Sefton that Farage and Reform put people like this forward to stand in the first place'. Jonathan Tonge, politics professor at the University of Liverpool, told the ECHO this week that the local elections will be 'catastrophic' for the Labour Party.
The political expert said there was a chance that Labour could lose control of Sefton Council, where the party currently dominates with 51 seats, although he admitted this would be a remarkable result. He said: 'I accept that if Labour were to lose Sefton it would be pretty extraordinary. They currently have 51 out of 66 seats and the council has been held by Labour for 14 years. But it is conceivable.
You would not completely rule it out.
'I would still make Labour just about favourites to hold on to Sefton, but I think it is going to be a mighty close thing. They are definitely going to take hits.
' The full list of candidates for the Litherland ward seat in this week's Sefton Council elections is as follows: Paul Andrew Dunbar , Julia Garner , Shaun Gilroy , Robert Percival Greenwood , Jennifer Stephanie Grice , Sarah Alison Harding , Manuel Antonio Hernandez Perez , Matthew William Johnson , John Kelly , Mark David McParlan , Marian Pope , Elizabeth Joanne Rooney , Ian Edward Smith , Daren Veidman . Subscribe to our daily newsletter LANCS LIVE NEWS and get all the biggest stories from across Lancashire direct to your inbox
Ian Smith Sefton Council Restraining Orders Local Elections Harassment Charges
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rising Stars: Independent Japanese Watchmakers Gain Global RecognitionIndependent Japanese watchmakers are gaining international attention, offering unique and high-quality timepieces that appeal to collectors seeking alternatives to established brands. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are playing a key role in showcasing their craftsmanship and innovative movements.
Read more »
These Independent British Designers Won The 2026 Met Gala After-PartiesFrom Adwoa Aboah in Viktor Gichev to Hunter Schafer in Steve O Smith, discover the winning after-party looks by independent British designers from the 2026 Met Gala.
Read more »
Trial of two men charged with murdering paedophile rock star Ian Watkins to beginIan Watkins was murdered last October after being stabbed in the neck by fellow inmates at HMP Wakefield
Read more »
£40 Million South Eastern Trust Facility Faces Independent Review Over Poor Working ConditionsStaff at the Lagan Valley hospital's Primary and Community Care Centre have raised concerns about excessive heat and lack of drinking water, prompting calls for an independent review. The South Eastern Trust has pledged to investigate the issues through a confidential survey, as whistle-blowers fear retaliation.
Read more »
Ian Wright speaks out as celebration police come calling for ArsenalIan Wright has urged Arsenal fans to ignore the celebration police and lap up the fact they are into the Champions League final.
Read more »
New purpose-built independent retirement community set to open in NewportA new and vibrant option for independent retirement living is coming to Newport with the opening of Sundew Court on 1st October 2026.
Read more »