Labour-led coalition in bid to lead Vale council
A LABOUR-LED coalition supported by eight ex-Conservative members will bid to lead the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
Councillor Neil Moore would lead the potential administration, which includes 14 Labour members and eight councillors, including the Vale council’s current leader and cabinet, who have walked away from the Conservative group. Four councillors from Llantwit First Independents would also join them.
Current council leader John Thomas and his cabinet resigned from the Conservative group together with two other Tory backbenchers after he lost the leadership of the Vale Tories to Cllr Vincent Bailey – who will put forward plans for a minority administration.
Cllr Bailey has said the Tory defectors have “betrayed” their voters and should face by-elections. The exodus from the Conservative group leaves the party with just 15 councillors.
The next leadership of the authority will be decided by councillors at an annual general meeting on Monday, May 20.
Cllr Moore, who led the council from 2012 until 2017, said he was ready to do the job again.
He said: “We want to try to ensure the Vale is kept on a steady path and the residents are treated equally, and we protect those who are vulnerable in our society as best we can.
“If elected we will try to ensure we treat everyone fairly within reason. We will do the best we can to protect the services and most vulnerable in our communities.”
Cllr Thomas has now formally resigned as leader, with effect from the AGM.
He will join the eight Conservative splitters, who also include his deputy leader, Hunter Jarvie, cabinet members Geoff Cox, Jonathan Bird and Andrew Parker and backbenchers Cllrs Michael Morgan and Kathryn McCaffer to form a new political group, called The Vale Independents Group.
The council has received formal notification that the group leaders of the Labour, Llantwit First and the Vale Independents intend to form a coalition administration. A new cabinet and cabinet portfolios will be presented to the meeting on May 20.
Cllr Moore said the coalition has not yet held any detailed policy discussions and he has pledged to “work across the three groups”.
But he said proposals to introduce new parking charges would be reviewed, as would the council’s Reshaping Services restructuring programme.
The coalition says it would engage with businesses and residents to develop a “fair and workable plan” for car parking.
The would-be administration’s other immediate pledges are to deliver investment in schools and to give more opportunities for local to win council contracts.
A statement from the coalition says: “The main aim of the coalition between Labour, Vale Independents and Llantwit First Independents is protecting the people and services of the Vale of Glamorgan. We will work across the council chamber to find a way forward that reflects that aim.
“With a coalition and Cabinet fully representative of the people of the Vale with both gender and geographical balance we want to protect local people and services from the impact of austerity.
“We want to increase engagement with local people so they have a real say in the services they receive.”
Cllr Moore said the group would “probably review” proposals to close Llancarfan Primary School and move it to Rhoose but said the decision is “probably set in stone”.
Cllr Bailey’s Conservative manifesto has pledged to scrap the parking charges, to protect rural schools and businesses deliver a bypass between Barry and Cardiff while stopping inflation-busting council tax rises.
He has also pledged to revisit plans to bulldoze homes in Pendoylan to build a new link road to Junction 34 of the M4 motorway.
Labour leader Cllr Moore, who says he was approached by one of the new Vale Independent councillors to take on the leadership, said some of the proposals put forward by Cllr Bailey were impractical.
“It’s misjudged to put out a manifesto when you’ve not actually worked out what you’re able to do,” he said.
“There’s going to be differences of opinion, but we have a shared commitment of protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.”
Vale of Glamorgan Council Conservatives said it is “shocking beyond belief” that the eight councillors elected under the party banner “would rather prop up a Labour administration than accept the result of a fair and properly conducted internal election”.