Labour lose controlling majority on Nottinghamshire County Council as councillor leaves the party: council leader comments

The Labour leader of Nottingham County Council said he was deeply disappointed with the resignation of a councillor which has lost Labour its overall majority at the council.

Coun Ian Campbell, councillor for Retford announced on Twitter yesterday that he had resigned the party whip and intends to become an Independent.

The decision would leave the Labour Party with 33 seats out of a total of 67.

Speaking on Twitter, he said: “Many are asking so I have decided to tweet. It is true that today I have resigned from the Labour Party and intend to be an Independent.”

Commenting on Ian Campbell’s intended resignation from the Labour Party, Councillor Alan Rhodes, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council said:

“We are deeply disappointed that Ian Campbell has decided to not continue to support Labour in our fight to safeguard important services that people in Nottinghamshire rely upon in face of ConDem Government cuts to County Council funding.

“Local people need Labour voices standing up for them now, more than they ever have.

“Ian Campbell’s decision is especially disappointing coming only months after he was elected as Labour Councillor for East Retford West and just over twelve months after being elected as a Labour County Councillor.

“Being a Labour Councillor is a responsible position that requires commitment and dedication in these challenging financial times as well as the ability to make difficult decisions about the future delivery of services to our communities.

“Only Labour is standing up for a fairer settlement for people in Nottinghamshire and we will continue to do so. We remain the largest political group on the Council and by retaining our resolve and strength of purpose, we can and will continue to lead the Council with policies based on Labour principles and values on behalf of the people of Nottinghamshire”.

The change to the political make-up of Nottinghamshire County Council means that no political group has an overall majority, but Labour remains the largest party with the most councillors.

The new make-up of the Council is: Labour - 33 members, Conservative -21 members; Liberal Democrats - 8 members; Independent alliance (Mansfield Independent Forum and Selston Area Independents) - 3 members; Independent (Councillor Maureen Dobson) - 1 member; Independent (Councillor Ian Campbell) - 1 member.

This means that 33 of the 67 County Councillors are now members of the Labour Group, one less than the 34 required for an overall majority.

Mick Burrows, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “First and foremost, the people of Nottinghamshire should be reassured that it is business as usual for all our services.

“Politically, the Labour Group remains the largest single group, however when a member of a political group resigns from their party and becomes an independent member, or joins another group, it affects the political balance of the Council.

“In this case, the Labour Group now has 33 Councillors and all of the other Councillors, when added together, total 34. This means that there is no overall control of the Council by a single political party.”