Reform brand motion for year-long council leader a 'press stunt' amid battle for top spot
Reform UK’s Group Leader for Kirklees has hit back at the Green Group Leader’s proposal for a 12-month leadership tenure, branding it a “press stunt”.
Today (July 15), Kirklees Council is set to make a third attempt to select a leader, with Green Party Group Leader, Andrew Cooper, and Reform UK Group Leader, Sarah Wood, going head-to-head for a third time.
Just days before the highly anticipated meeting, a motion was submitted – led by Coun Wood – asking the rest of the council to support a “minority administration”.
This proposal drew criticism from other council groups, prompting an amendment to the motion requiring any incoming leader to commit to seeking re-election at each annual council meeting.
Led by Coun Cooper, the motion was backed by the Kirklees Independents, Liberal Democrats, Valley Independents, and the Greens.
Yet, less than two days after suggesting the amendment, Coun Wood has branded the “press stunt” as a move that would “not (be) conducive to reaching agreement”.
In a statement made on Tuesday (July 14), Coun Wood claimed: “Coun Cooper released this amendment of our proposal without consulting me… In addition, the amendment proposal Coun Cooper brought to the press before anyone else….”
Coun Wood went on to claim that changing any leader’s term of office to 12 months after “filibustering” a leadership election by two months already would create an effective term of just 10 months.
Coun Wood said: “There is no realistic possibility that any leader will have sufficient time to deliver meaningful change in that period. This was not a ‘concession’, nor a compromise.
“This was a press stunt, not conducive to reaching an agreement, commensurate with similar behaviour from some members of the 31-member rainbow coalition he leads.”
In response, Coun Cooper claimed that other group leaders were not consulted on the amendment itself.
Coun Cooper said: “They say we produced our amendment without consulting them, yet Reform produced their motion without consulting us. What’s the difference?”
Coun Cooper went on to explain that amendments are “usually submitted” without referring to other groups or the chief executive.
Coun Cooper said: “I would not be offended if Coun Wood submitted an amendment to a Green motion without checking with me first. At least they know what an amendment is now.
“The amendment was changed to ensure it fitted with the constitution through a referral to the constitutional working group…There is a precedent for yearly elections of leaders. Labour’s Coun Mehboob Khan submitted himself for re-election at each annual council meeting.”
The original motion, submitted in the public agenda pack published on July 7, aims to promote democratic stability and effective governance.
Both the motion and the new amendment will be discussed alongside others at the full council meeting today.