Conservatives lose out in Wirral

May 22 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

WIRRAL’S new cabinet is expected to be formally approved tonight – with the Conservatives left out again despite their election night triumph.

The Conservatives had demanded a minority administration but a last-minute deal between Labour and the Lib-Dems excluded them.

A meeting of the full council is expected to rubber-stamp the cabinet appointments tonight prior to the new ruling committee’s first meeting.

No new faces are expected to represent the Liberal Democrats on the cabinet, but Labour has at least one vacancy to fill following the loss of Pat Hackett who held the cabinet post for regeneration.

The Labour party will formally announce its cabinet members tonight, with Steve Foulkes expected to remain as leader of the council and Lib-Dem leader Simon Holbrook as deputy leader.

Last night Conservative leader Jeff Green renewed his attack on the deal which has seen Labour retain its leadership of the council with the support of the Liberal Democrats, describing it as “a slap in the face for the electorate”

Referring to Simon Holbrook’s statement following the election that the Lib-Dems were no longer to continue in power with Labour, Cllr Green said: “Fancy saying it was untenable to have a Labour-led administration and then a week later to be back in one.”

But Simon Holbrook was unapologetic about his decision to continue in power with the Labour Party, and said Jeff Green “was given every opportunity” to take the leadership of the council.

He said: “We moved a resolution that offered [Cllr Green] the leadership, we went to speak to him and offered him the leadership. We left it on the table throughout the proceedings, and it was not taken up.

“Cllr Green wanted to govern on the basis of 24 seats out of 66 but refused to tell us how that would work.

“The Conservatives’ ‘my way or the highway’ attitude throughout these last difficult two days demonstrates that the Conservative Group were never serious about governing this council.”

YESTERDAY, the Conserv-atives formally complained to the council’s standards committee about a Labour councillor’s conduct during the debate.

Bidston councillor Harry Smith was alleged to have used foul language directed against three of the Conservative party’s younger members.

A spokesman for Wirral Council said last night any complaint remained confidential until the standards committee had considered it. Cllr Smith was unavailable for comment last night.

liammurphy