Tory party delays decision on bid to suspend ex-leader
A MEETING to consider suspending former Cheshire East leader Michael Jones from the council’s Conservative group has been postponed.
The meeting of the Conservative Group had been called for ‘consideration of disciplinary action regarding Michael Jones’ and was due to take place last night (Tuesday).
It was called by Cheshire East Leader and Conservative group leader Rachel Bailey. But an email sent to members said it had been postponed because ‘additional matters’ have arisen.
The initial call for disciplinary action followed an announcement that Coun Jones is part of a consortium hoping to set up a medical science park at the MMU campus in Crewe. Also involved in the MMU project is Coun Jones’ personal physiotherapist, Amanda Weston, who runs the health and wellbeing company, Core Fit.
The awarding of council contracts to Core Fit in 2014 led to calls by a cross party group of councillors for an external enquiry.
Coun Jones later resigned as council leader citing infighting among the Tories as the reason. He has always denied any wrongdoing. At the beginning of last year Cheshire police launched a criminal investigation into the awarding of the Cheshire East contracts.
The police investigation is still ongoing.
This week Coun Jones said if he was suspended from the Conservative group he would be free to ‘speak openly’ about matters which concerned him involving the council.
Speaking before the meeting, he said: “I don’t believe in blue-on-blue attacks that’s why I resigned [as leader]. It’s disappointing to see these actions continue.”
He added that if he was suspended ‘it now frees me to speak openly about issues I think are morally wrong in the council’.