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Stalemate: Council meeting adjourned with no agreement on Leader reached
18/05/2023
After nearly four hours of scenes resembling Groundhog Day the Council has no Leader
Cherwell District Council’s marathon Annual Meeting concluded last night (Wednesday) with no agreement as to who would be the Council’s Leader. At one point Council officers and the Chairman huddled together to discuss how to deal with the situation, as the meeting entered the unchartered waters of stalemate.
For around twenty years the Conservatives have maintained control of the Council, but following the Local Elections two weeks ago no one party has overall control. A potential alliance to take control between the Progressive Oxfordshire Group (Liberal Democrats, Greens and Independents) and Labour fell apart earlier this week.
Under the Council’s constitution Conservative Barry Wood was part way through a four-year term as Leader, but early in proceedings Labour’s Sean Woodcock proposed a vote of “no confidence” in Councillor Wood. This successfully unseated him with 25 votes for and 22 against.
Councillor Woodcock then proposed himself as Leader of the Council, but only managed to secure the support of his party, losing the vote with 12 in favour and 35 against.
With it necessary to appoint a Leader before the meeting could move on, Chairman Les Sibley asked if there were any other nominations. Councillor Barry Wood – who had lost the vote of no confidence just minutes earlier – was the only person who appeared willing to take on the role and proposed himself, as the leader of the largest group. The Conservatives have 20 Councillors.
Councillor Wood told the meeting it wasn’t unusual in local government to be in a position of “no overall control” and he would seek to put together an administration that would work with other parties. He said: “The coalition talks have failed and there is no going back. Councillors owe it to the people of the area to sort this and someone has to do the job of Leader.”
The meeting didn’t support Councillor Wood’s nomination and the vote was lost with 22 votes for and 25 against.
Liberal Councillor David Hingley from the Progressive Oxfordshire Group said he felt talks between his group and Labour could find a way forward and requested the meeting be adjourned until the following week. But the meeting didn’t want this and a vote on adjourning was lost 14 votes for and 33 against.
In scenes that resembled Groundhog Day Councillor Wood was nominated as Chairman again – and defeated – twice more.
Green Councillor Middleton told the meeting: “We are not going to elect a Conservative administration. We can go round and round until it gets to 11 o’clock and then we all go home, or we could pick the adjournment option where we know there is a chance of success.”
But Conservative Councillors were keen that the matter be resolved and requested the statutory cut-off point for meetings to close by 11pm be waived.
Liberal Democrat David Hingley again proposed an adjournment until May 23. Stalemate on this matter was in Labour’s hands. The Conservatives were keen to stay in the Chamber, knowing that no alliance would be achieved that evening and Councillor Barry Wood was the only person being proposed.
With some Councillors keen to head home the adjournment did finally pass shortly after 10pm, 24 in favour and 22 against, with Labour supporting the proposal.
The Council now finds itself in a position of limbo with executive function decisions the responsibility of the Chief Executive Yvonne Rees, in the absence of an elected Leader.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam