Crisis talks to be held to decide who should lead Sefton Council

May 10 2008

THE political deadlock in Sefton showed no sign of being broken last night after the council lost its leader and a third of the ruling cabinet.

All sides in the dispute remain resolute and are effectively waiting for others to blink first.

It is thought chief executive Graham Haywood will call the three main political leaders together for crisis talks towards the end of next week.

Fear is mounting over how members will pick up the pieces and continue running the borough.

Council officers have expressed concern about the unprecedented situation with some telling councillors they now feel “rudderless”.

Two of eight cabinet posts have no councilors assigned to them.

A Tory councillor has also told the Daily Post he and party colleagues were warned off entering a coalition with Labour by their own Central Office.

Tory leader Cllr Paula Parry insisted a coalition was never on the cards but emphasised there was a distinction between local and national manoeuvres.

More than two decades of consensus politics came to an abrupt end on Thursday when an apparent alliance of Labour and Conservative members attempted to give the Liberal Democrats a “bloody nose” over their “irresponsible” behaviour.

Cllr Peter Dowd, Labour group leader, lambasted the Lib-Dems for signing up to policies in meetings and then criticising them while campaigning

After last week’s local elections, the Lib-Dems were left with 27 seats, Labour 21 and the Conservatives 18.

But after a motion to shake-up the distribution of power among the parties was passed, three senior Lib-Dems fell on their swords saying they would not serve in an administration in which positions were not allocated proportionally.

With 40% of the council’s seats, the Lib-Dems say they should have 40% of the power.

Thursday’s council meeting saw the dramatic resignation of the leader, Liberal Democrat Cllr Tony Robertson, and his cabinet colleagues Cllrs David Tattersall and Lord Ronnie Fearn.

The motion had stripped the Lib-Dems of one of their cabinet seats as well as their chairs of three key committees.

That left a cabinet of nine with each party holding three seats.

If neither side gives any ground by this Thursday, when the cabinet is next due to meet, the three Labour and three Conservative members will meet without the Lib-Dems.

Asked yesterday if they planned to attend, Lib-Dem members flatly denied they were cabinet members, adding the onus is on the Tory and Labour groups to fill the seats.

Cllr Robertson said Thursday’s move was a “political grab for power that they (Cllrs Parry and Dowd) were clearly doing “hand in hand”

He added: “They should fill the seats and propose a leader. Or step back from the brink and come and talk to me.

“If they were not capable of forming an administration, what were they up to in the first place?”Political power has become more of an object for the other parties than running the council well.

“I will not be holding them to ransom. All I’m after is a fair share of seats across the council.”

Both Cllrs Parry and Dowd insist there is no formal agreement between the parties and it is not a coalition administration.

It is therefore unclear how a 3-3 split in the cabinet will be resolved. A rolling-chair is likely to be appointed at the start of each meeting but it is not known if the position would command a casting vote.

Adding to the war of words, Cllr Parry said: “By walking away from the cabinet, they are damaging the reputation of Sefton Council.”

“This weekend everyone will be having a couple of days to think about things. I’m quite happy to go to a meeting – the show must go on.”

On the prospect of a split cabinet, Cllr Dowd said he would “cross that bridge when we come to it”.

He added: “This is time to let the dust settle and take it from there.”