News

Scandal-hit Conservative council elects Labour leader

Labour have managed to take control of a Conservative-led council following an “internal war” among the Tory councillors, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats managing to form a minority administration.

South Ribble Borough Council elected Labour’s Paul Foster as the leader of the Conservative majority council mere hours after the former leader resigned.

Mary Green resigned on Monday, saying she had been subject to “threatening behaviour” and a lack of support from within the council.

There have been claims of bullying, harassment, cover-ups and low staff morale at the authority following a 2016 scandal which involved “failures” in the handling of allegations children were sexually exploited by taxi drivers.

South Ribble Labour group leader Paul Foster is voted in as leader of the majority Conservative authority at extraordinary council meeting. Tory working majority is lost on the night due to series of absences. @leponline

— Paul Faulkner (@PaulFaulkner2) October 15, 2018

The meeting last night was originally called to consider a motion of no confidence in Green’s leadership but ended up with a Labour Lid-Dem coalition.

The absence of nine Conservative councillors at the meeting helped the minority administration, and Caroline Moon’s, the deputy of the authority, claim that the meeting should be adjourned to allow party to nominate a new leader was rejected.

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