Call for vote of no confidence in Scarborough Borough Council leader
There is a call for a vote of no confidence in Scarborough Borough Council's leader for the second time in a year.
Last updated 20th Jan 2021
There is a call for a vote of no confidence in Scarborough Borough Council's leader for the second time in a year.
It has been signed by five Independent councillors and means there will be a full council meeting to debate it on Thursday 28th January.
It is after a similar move in February last year when the motion was defeated by 26 votes to 16.
The motion, like the previous no confidence challenge, has been brought by Cllr Bill Chatt, a cabinet member under the previous Conservative regime and now part of the Cluster of Independent Members (CIM) group.
The motion is also backed by Cllr Mike Cockerill, leader of the CIM, and Yorkshire Coast Independents Alliance leader Cllr Neil Heritage along with his fellow group members Sam Cross and Guy Smith.
Cllr Chatt said:
"A lot of members said that Steve wasn't listening and wasn't responding to people. He wasn't actually communicating with anybody and I remember Steve at the time saying that he heard, he listened and he was going to sort it out. Well, it's been nearly a year since then and things at this council have gotten absolutely terrible.
"There's been some major issues which Steve is ignoring and there's been some funding bids which have been lost. The management just seems absolutely rubbish at the moment and I'm not just saying that. It just seems rubbish. Communication within that Town Hall to members is absolutely pathetic.
"I applied to see the private and commission report of a report which went in December 15th and I received the report paperwork on the 17th, so it was no good. I couldn't actually take part in the meeting and I found that absolutely disgusting.
"He's not dealing with it. It's just being left and left and left. The budget is coming up and we're normally into a budget realm starting in October and we've had nothing. We're going to have one next week. We're deciding the budget in less than four weeks and it doesn't give anybody the chance to look through the budget.
"We were promised the communication would get better. Yeah, we are in a difficult situation but I'm out in the community and people are asking me 'what's going on? What's happening with this? And what's happening with that? And I can't tell them because nobody's telling me."
Meanwhile, Steve Siddons, leader of Scarborough Borough Council has responded and said he is appalled and there is no time for "game playing".
Councillor Siddons said:
“I do not understand these Councillors’ actions based on their perception that they are not involved in decision sharing. Council were offered a different way of Governance and it was rejected. We increased the role of Scrutiny by setting up a second Committee to look at decisions made by Council.
"What I find appalling is that amid a crisis nationally and globally and with families and residents every day concerned about their health, perhaps mourning the loss of loved ones, worrying about their ability to put food on the table, the economic instability and the education of their families, we see Councillors indulging in game playing and naked attempts at a power grab. Was there really a need to try and cause a political crisis at this time.
"This Coalition Council is making real progress: affordable homes for rent, securing inward, private investment to ensure long term security for residents, and the production of a blueprint for the Borough. In spite of the challenges caused by Covid, we are moving ahead with plans for the future and tackling real issues, not perceived ones.
"We recently undertook a massive public consultation in this Borough. The people spoke and we listened and acted accordingly. Nowhere did the residents say, waste time, money and effort on game playing.
"This Motion is founded on resentment and naked ambition, and history - both latter day and modern, shows us that it produces Leaders who are neither stable nor motivated by the public good.
"I call on all Councillors to let this Administration get on with the job that we were elected to do – ridding us of this ‘Low pay capital of the UK’ nametag, creating a better, cleaner Borough with improved life chances for all. The Borough residents deserve a cohesive council, with Councillors in touch with reality, pulling together to build that Better Borough.”
A majority of councillors present will be needed to vote to remove the leader and his administration.
Convention dictates that a leader who loses a no confidence motion resigns immediately and a vote for a new leader takes place.