17 October 2012

Cornwall votes out council leader


Jonathan Werran

Cornwall Council’s leader, Cllr Alec Robertson, was removed from his post this week following a vote of no confidence.

After a motion to step down Conservative Cllr Robertson was carried by 63 votes to 49, Cllr Currie was declared leader in subsequent voting.

New leader Currie saw off competition from Cllr Neil Burden for the role, being elected with 49 votes to 46.

Cllr Currie said he would decide on the make-up of his new cabinet over the next few days.

The motion to remove Mr Robertson was instigated by more than 40 members of the council, after his cabinet decided to push ahead with controversial plans to part-privatise key council services - despite full council voting against the plan.

Over 4,400 residents have watched a webcast of the meeting on Cornwall Council’s website.

Cllr Currie said: ‘Now is the time to look forward and reinforce the democracy demonstrated by the members this afternoon. I’ll be holding meetings over the coming days to determine who will make up the new Cabinet.

‘All previous members of the Cabinet can congratulate themselves on a successful term in office. The council has had many successes but most of all it is solvent and in a position of strength from which we will go forward,’ Cllr Currie added.



Your comments

Incidentally, I'm not a fan of outsourcing of anything other than data processing and possibly bean counting. Most other services require a level of flexibility and willingness to do a bit extra occasionally that can only be achieved through the public service commitment seen in local government, or by the use of a large contingency overhead in the budget. The contractor will always make sure they can dip into this at every opportunity, or the unexpected just stays undone.

Roger, Lincolnshire, Added: Wednesday, 17 October 2012 06:47 PM

The argument about outsourcing verses in-house will never be settled until we get honesty on both sides. The private sector needs to admit that their goal is profit based on less jobs, lower wages and lesser conditions. The public sector needs to admit that they have terms and conditions the private sector can only dream of. Before you start screaming rubbish!, just compare how difficult it is get rid of a poor performing worker in local gov compared to the private sector.

Roger, Lincolnshire, Added: Wednesday, 17 October 2012 06:39 PM

Privatisation of services are bad news for local people, bad news for workers in those services and are part of a strategy that seeks to totally destroy the public sector. He will not be the last Tory ousted as people realise the extent of their malice towards the public sector.

David Hambly, Added: Wednesday, 17 October 2012 03:46 PM

One less deaf, tunnel visioned, privatisation daft tory to worry about. As the government should do , listen to the people before you get the chop also.

Colin Sowden, Added: Wednesday, 17 October 2012 03:33 PM



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