Council cabinet ‘shake up’ expected after losses and damning Children’s Services report
DECISIONS ON NEW CABINET TO BE MADE IN COMING DAYS
THE leader of North East Lincolnshire Council is expecting a “big shake up of cabinet” after the tourism portfolio holder lost his seat and another councillor moves onto a new role after Children’s Services failings.
Councillor Philip Jackson said he will lead the discussions to find a new face to take on Children’s Services after a damning report into the lack of care for children in need.
Councillor Ian Lindley, portfolio holder for Children and Education, will become deputy mayor after independent inspectors found children in North East Lincolnshire were put in danger.
In Freshney Ward, tourism portfolio holder Callum Procter lost his seat to independent Steve Holland. Cllr Jackson said decisions on his new cabinet would be made in the coming days.
North East Lincolnshire Council could be temporarily removed from control of Children’s Services after recommendations by an independent inspector. It comes after a damning Ofsted report labelled them ‘inadequate’ and warned that children were put at risk.
The review by the Department of Education’s inspector, Peter Dwyer, were not made public before the Local Elections.
The government notice earlier this year said: “North East Lincolnshire Council has systematically failed as its children’s social care services have been found to be ‘inadequate’ across all of the key judgements in the recent Ofsted inspection report.
“There is a presumption in cases of persistent or systemic failure that children’s social care services will be removed from local authority control, for a period of time, in order to bring about sustainable improvement, unless there are compelling reasons not to do so.”
Following the report in November last year, Labour called on Councillor Lindley to resign because of the risk to children. The director of Children’s Services Lisa Athey resigned in the wake of the findings.
Inspectors visited the area in October and found there had been a significant deterioration in the service since they visited in 2019 when there was supposed to have been improvements.
But instead of assessing the advances with priority actions, inspectors said the service had got significantly worse.
After yesterday’s poll, there were a number of new faces elected on to North East Lincolnshire Council. T
he Freshney ward seat lost by the Conservatives, went to Steve Holland, Independent. He campaigned to save the countryside after the controversial plan for a Grimsby Western Relief Road. It was bitterly opposed by the Friends of the Freshney Valley.
Council leader, Philip Jackson said: “Decisions on who will be in the cabinet will follow discussions. There will be a big shake-up because Ian Lindley is going to be deputy mayor and we have lost Callum Procter for tourism.”
Another new councillor is Kevin Shutt, who won back a Heneage ward seat for Labour.
He was joined on the Labour Group by Sophia Farren for Sidney Sussex.
Labour also had a win on West Marsh, with Kathryn Wheatley. Labour’s Tim Mickleburgh held on to the South ward seat.
Of the 11 Conservative-held seats contest in the 2022 Local Elections, nine were held by Ron Shepherd, for Scartho, David Hasthorpe, for Wolds, Stewart Swinburn for Immingham, Paul Silvester for Park ward, Oliver Freeston for Croft Baker and Margaret Cracknell for Haverstoe.
Humberston and New Waltham Conservative councillor Steve Harness held his seat and Nick Pettigrew held Waltham and James Cairns held Yarborough ward.
East Marsh voters elected two councillors for their ward and were won for the Liberal Democrats, by Steve Beasant and Lynsey McLean.
The Conservatives have overall control with a majority with 30 seats, with Labour on eight and Liberal Democrats on three. Steve Holland is the only Independent.