Talks to begin soon on power-sharing

May 6 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

POLITICAL parties on Northumberland’s new super-council have chosen their leadership teams to begin talks on a coalition administration that will run the hung authority.

Last week’s elections left no party in overall control of the unitary council, which will run all local authority services across Northumberland following the abolition of the existing county and six district councils in 12 months’ time.

Voters dramatically ended Labour’s 19-year domination of the county in a poll which left the Liberal Democrats as the biggest party on the new council with 26 seats.

Labour and the Conservatives each have 17 seats and there are seven Independents on the 67-member authority.

As the biggest party, it is now down to the Lib Dems to try to form an administration to run the council, with other parties expected to be approached over the next two weeks.

At the weekend, the 26 Lib Dem councillors elected Jeff Reid as the new group leader, with Roger Styring as deputy leader and Simon Reed, Andrew Tebbutt, Arthur Pegg, Isobel Hunter and Lesley Rickerby making up a seven-strong leadership team.

Coun Reid has been leader of the opposition Lib Dem group on Blyth Valley Borough Council for a number of years and Coun Styring is the current leader of Alnwick District Council. The Conservatives – whose group leader Sue Bolam lost her Rothbury seat to Lib Dem candidate Steven Bridgett last week – have chosen Castle Morpeth Borough Council leader Peter Jackson as her successor.

Labour, which lost 18 of its 35 seats in a disastrous election result, will try to re-group under the leadership of Blyth Valley councillor Grant Davey, whose appointment is expected to be ratified at the weekend.

The new council will meet for the first time on May 21 when it will have to choose a leader, deputy leader, executive and chair of scrutiny committee. Talks will be held between the parties to see whether this can be done by consensus. Yesterday Coun Andrew Tebbutt, who chaired the Lib Dems’ election coordinating group, said: “We have chosen a team of seven who will forge ahead and try to form an administration for the new council, with or without the other groups. We will be talking to the other parties and individuals to see if we can get agreement, although I have no idea at the moment whether we can or not.

“Our number one priority at present is to get the transition to unitary government organised and the new council up and running by April 1 next year, so that people in Northumberland see no diminution in services. The people of Northumberland have chosen a council with no overall political control and so they expect the parties to work together.”

£17m-a-year savings pledged

THE 67 councillors elected last week will now be responsible for the remaining business of the county council until the brand new unitary Northumberland Council takes over all town hall services on April 1 next year.

During that period the six district and borough authorities will also continue, with their councillors staying in their posts, until they are abolished when the all-purpose authority assumes control. The radical shake-up will see the number of councillors representing people in Northumberland slashed from the current 300 to just 67 on April 1.

Architects of the new council have pledged it will eventually save £17m a year, simplify service delivery and result in lower council tax bills for most people in Northumberland.