Herefordshire is now heading towards no majority control after the Liberal Democrats rejected overtures from other parties.
The previous Independents for Herefordshire / Green coalition yesterday sent an “open letter” to the county’s LibDem councillors, who doubled their numbers to 12 at county elections two weeks ago.
The letter from Greens leader Coun Ellie Chowns and newly appointed Independents for Herefordshire leader Coun Liz Harvey, whose parties’ 15 councillors could form a bare majority with the LibDems, called on the LibDems to help “provide this county with the stability and representation that our residents deserve”.
“We have been surprised and saddened by your reluctance to consider such a balanced and fair arrangement,” they wrote, and pointed to the “considerable common ground between our groups”.
The two said they were prepared to go along with the LibDems’ earlier demand to switch to a committee rather than cabinet-based form of decision making in the council.
But LibDem group leader Coun Terry James said: “We are not prepared to prop up either side in this situation. We can’t support the Independents and Greens because they have been soundly rejected by the voters – something they seem to be in denial about.”
He also accused the coalition of “slandering members of other parties” and said a formal complaint regarding this has been made the council.
Herefordshire Council was asked to confirm if this was indeed the case.
As for the Conservatives, “we have the bypass in common, but are not prepared to formally work with them”, he said. “They got lucky because of the unpopularity of the previous administration.”
Instead, his group will vote “issue by issue, and will take part in scrutiny and other functions”.
A tomorrow’s (Friday May 17) full council meeting, “we will put up a candidate for chairman of the council”, Coun James added.
An administration with no majority could still function under a chairman and leader, and hence cabinet, elected every year, he said – “so the cabinet would be restrained by what the rest of the council wants”.
A priority for any administration will be the council’s “massive” budget deficit, he added, making for “difficult times ahead”.
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