In a dramatic turn of events, the leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Chris Watkins, has been removed from office following a vote of no confidence. The move comes amidst a row over the potential postponement of local elections scheduled for May 5th.
Watkins, a Labour councillor, had written to the government requesting that the upcoming elections be delayed, arguing that it would not be a “prudent use of resources” and that the funds could be better utilised in preparations for the abolition of Warwickshire’s councils, set to be replaced by a new single-tier authority by 2028.
However, this proposal was met with fierce opposition from the Conservative, Green, and Liberal Democrat councillors, who combined forces to defeat Labour in the no-confidence vote during an extraordinary council meeting on Wednesday evening.
The Conservative group, led by Kris Wilson, spearheaded the vote, stating that this was “fundamentally about our right to vote, a right that has been hard-won over centuries, and to try and deny that vote to residents is an extraordinary act.”
Despite the ousting of their leader, Labour managed to retain control of the council, with Watkins’ deputy, Steve Hey, being voted in as the new leader. Hey’s appointment was secured with the support of the council’s two Green Party councillors, who signalled their preference for the local elections to proceed as planned.
In a direct response to the claims of the Reform leader of Warwickshire County Council, George Finch, that Labour was “running scared,” Hey dismissed the suggestion, stating, “Do I look like I’m running scared? I think the elections are going to be very difficult, and the problem is that local elections are run on national lines.”
During the meeting, Hey expressed his displeasure with the government’s involvement in the issue, stating, “I do wish that our government had not written to us to ask us what our opinion is. I’d rather they had just got on with deciding what they wanted to do in the first place. It would have been much easier, wouldn’t it? And I do feel that we’ve been put on here.”
The controversy surrounding the potential postponement of local elections has wider implications, with more than a third of eligible councils in England requesting to delay their elections in May, potentially affecting over 2.5 million voters, including those in neighbouring Rugby Borough Council. However, neighbouring Coventry will not face a delay as the authority is not undergoing a restructuring and is therefore not eligible for the postponement.
