Party Leaders Clash Over Future Of County Council

By Chris Harper, Local Democracy Reporter

A future coalition to take control of Leicestershire County Council could already be dead in the water after a war of words broke out between party leaders.

The potential changes at the top of the authority follow the resignation of Reform UK’s Councillor Dan Harrison on Monday (November 2) in the wake of mounting pressure from within his own party and the leaking of controversial comments.

Cllr Kevin Crook is currently acting leader of the county council, but he may not ultimately take the top role full-time as all county councillors are to meet in the future to discuss who could take over on a permanent basis. No date for that meeting has been currently set.

Reform bosses have reassured the public that “stability and delivering for the people of Leicestershire”.

Cllr Crook said: “My number one priority is providing stability and delivering for the people of Leicestershire. The cabinet and I met this morning and we are united in our priorities: sounds finances, low council tax, making every pound go further, fixing potholes, driving the economy forward and supporting businesses, investing in Leicestershire’s rich heritage and supporting communities to tackle flooding.

“There’s much to be getting on with and we’re making real progress. Just last week, the Government announced plans for a new Mayoral Strategic Authority, unlocking much needed funding and powers. And, importantly, an expansion of the City’s boundaries has been withdrawn.”

“Stability and continuity is key. With a united team around us, the future looks positive.”

But with the recent tumultuous months Reform UK has had, including failing to win a number of by-elections, complaint outcomes, and the leaking of Cllr Harrison’s controversial comments, calls are being made for a potential “rainbow coalition” to be formed to oust the party’s “unstable” minority control.

Leader of the county council’s Labour Group, Cllr Jewel Miah, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he felt that parties should “gather together”, “put their differences aside” and “take Leicestershire forward”.

However, it may not be as simple as that, as party leaders have made their disagreements known more recently and in past meetings.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have been at odds following recent council meetings, with the Tories accusing the Lib Dems of “propping up” Reform UK and having “backroom deals”.

The Lib Dems meanwhile have hit out at the leadership of the Conservative Party under Cllr Deborah Taylor and her deputy Cllr Craig Smith – as well as previous Tory administrations – claiming they were “arrogant” and dismissive.

Speaking to the LDRS, Cllr Taylor said it was “too early” to decide what the next moves for her party were regarding any potential alliance or coalition.

She added: “I want to see stability back in this council. Confidence in staff, and them wanting to work in a nice place. That’s my number one priority.

“I can’t say where we’re going to be at the moment”.

Cllr Taylor said she “didn’t know” whether Reform UK could come together with the leaks and controversy that had followed in recent weeks.

She also accused Liberal Democrat councillors of “propping up the chaos” following abstentions in previous meetings.

She added: “Abstaining is as good as voting for them, so they propped up the chaos of Harrison’s reign for 18 months”.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Michael Mullaney, hit back at those claims, calling them “rubbish”.

He told the LDRS that it wasn’t his party’s job to potentially put the Conservatives back in control.

He added: “The reality is that the Conservatives lost the election. They lost a majority of their seats. People were ready for a change.

“The reality is, if Reform put something forward we disagree with, we vote them down, so we saw it on the special education needs nurseries. We saw it on the Budget, where we successfully amended it”.

Cllr Mullaney said the main “stumbling block” was the previous Tory administration, which he claimed was “arrogant”, “high-handed” and “didn’t work with people”.

He added: “They wouldn’t take anything on board we said, and then they suffered a massive defeat.

“Reform have more seats and more of a mandate. It’s just going against what the public said… and what we can do is where they do things we disagree with, we can vote them down.

“I don’t think we can put Deborah Taylor back in as leader of the county council”.