News Post Leader 18 January 2007, A Bad day for NNC

Photo of Paul Kelly the writer of the leaked e-mail, Chief Whip

Council in last minute change to submission
COUNTY leaders averted an embarrassing defeat in a vote on local government reorganisation by drawing up a last minute compromise to support both of the two proposals.
Councillors at Northumberland County Council voted to pass a motion supporting the submission of the county plan to create a single unitary authority, and a plan from the districts for a rural urban split.
Last week the county council was criticised after a leaked e-mail revealed councillors would face sanctions if they did not vote to support the plans for a single ‘super council’.

But when the leadership was faced with a real possibility of losing the vote, council leader Bill Brooks submitted a last minute motion to support both plans during a meeting of the full council on Monday.

It was passed in a 43 to 18 vote.
Coun Leslie Rickerby, leader of the Lib Dem group, said it was no secret that the majority of councillors would have voted against the county’s plans.
And Coun Alex Kerr, leader of the Conservative and Independent group, said he thought the deal to support both was a “sop”.
But Coun Dave Stephens, leader of Blyth Valley Council, said he thought the motion was the best way forward.
“Everyone knows I am a supporter of creating two distinct unitary authorities,” he said.
“But I have no fear in seeing both options go to the government.
“We should support the submissions from all councils ... and take the options to the people of Northumberland

Hexham Courant Friday January 19 2007

County compromises in face of back bench rebellion
Published on 19/01/2007

By WILL GREEN

CHAOS reigned at County Hall on Monday, as county councillors clashed over the future of local government.

In a marathon three-hour session, councillors from across the political spectrum slugged it out to decide whether Northumberland County Council would submit its plans to create a single unitary authority for the whole county.

This would signal its own abolition and that of Northumberland’s six district councils.

Faced by a potential rebellion from within its own ranks, the ruling Labour executive finally agreed to a compromise motion rather than risk putting its wafer-thin majority to the test, even with a whip in force.

It did submit its plans for a single council, but also agreed to support the submission of an alternative proposal from the districts for two unitary councils – one for the four rural districts of Tynedale, Castle Morpeth, Alnwick and Berwick, and the other from the two urban authorities of Wansbeck and Blyth Valley.

The move was seen as a sop to powerful Labour members in the urban areas, who are known to favour the two-way split.

Tory opposition leader Coun. Alex Kerr, from Bingfield, told the council’s leaders: “You may accuse me of being cynical in saying that the move to support two authorities is just another sop to support your already damaged administration.

“Leadership doesn’t mean the arrogance of assuming you know best; it should mean talking to your partners, and you have failed in this.”

And Tory councillor Bill Purdue, from Allendale, said: “This is farcical, we are being asked to agree two diametrically opposed ideas in this new recommendation!”

Lib Dem group leader Coun. Lesley Rickerby, from Blyth, said: “It is no secret that the majority of Lib Dems would have voted against a single unitary recommendation.

“We mustn't forget the importance of the decision we make here today.

“Residents’ views should be heard through a referendum.”

Other members blasted the executive’s alleged strong arming of rebel Labour councillors to vote for the single council recommendation by the use of the party whip.

Tory councillor Glen Sanderson, from Morpeth, said: “The Labour party are good at one thing – bullying!

“Look at them here today, forced to come in and sign this compromise, all designed to allow those people who might otherwise have been absent due to ‘illness’ to come in!”

But one such councillor, Labour’s Dave Stephens from Blyth, said there had been no bullying used to get him to vote despite his well known support for the rural/urban option.

“I am a vociferous supporter of the two unitary argument. However, I support the motion today because I’m not afraid of both submissions going forward.”

The recommendation – which was carried by a vote of 43 for, 18 against and two abstentions – said councillors “endorse the submission of a single unitary proposal in the context of county support for the submission of both a single unitary by the county council and two unitary councils by the district councils”.

The original motion, simply recommended councillors “endorse the case for a single unitary council”.

However, following the meeting, leader of the county council Labour’s Bill Brooks, seemed pleased with the outcome, saying: “I am delighted that county councillors have voted to do what is best for the people of Northumberland.

“The final decision on any reorganisation will be made by the Government and Monday’s decision means that our proposals can go to the minister for consideration, along with any proposals the district councils put forward.”

But the fact that the Government, rather than local councillors, will shape the future of the county has not been universally well received.

Tory councillor Raymond Thompson, from Stocksfield, said: “The council has abrogated its responsibility for our own area to central Government.

“While they are trying to make us take our own decisions we are saying to them that we can’t – it doesn’t bode well for the future!”



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The big Vote Day

The sound of the crumpled order papers being swept up from the chamber of despair at County Hall was heartbreaking.

It all started with a field of promises – promises that the Government told them ‘they had it in the bag’, that’s if they ignored what the public wanted of course.
It continued with promises of support from politicians, that’s if they ignored what the MP’s wanted.

The final promise was that the County council itself would support the notion of a massive single unitary authority.

And of course it didn’t.

Monday morning was just a continuation of the previous few days that were solid with the machinations of the leadership trying to muster votes.

At the Labour Group meeting, realisation dawned on Bill and Peter when Paul ‘shotgun’ Kelly told them they did not have the support of the County Council for a single authority, no matter how he had tried to coerce and blackmail people into what the leader wanted them to do.

After that came a flurry of compromise motions that resulted in Billy ‘the bullet’ actually backing the bid for the two unitary councils option for Northumberland – ALTHOUGH HE DIDN’T REALISE THAT until it was too late.

We now have a situation where the option of two unitaries has the backing ALL seven councils in Northumberland, ALL the MPs, all the people and even their budgies!

The single option has the personal backing of Billy – we hear that Peter Hillman might jump ship soon.

We now look forward to persuading the DCLG that two is good for Northumberland.



By the way, we hear that Cllr Luke has been given the vacant seat on the executive – well done Dorothy.

BUT who gets the Assistants role on the portfolio.

With all the loyalists given ‘jobs for the boys’ that only leaves those ‘others’.

Result – no assistant for Dorothy!

The pettiness is creeping back in already!

An 11th-hour amendment tabled by council leader Bill Brooks called for both options to go foreward

An 11th-hour amendment tabled by council leader Bill Brooks called for both options to be submitted for Government scrutiny, with ministers asked to decide which one they feel is best for the future of Northumberland



By Dave Black, The Journal







Labour leaders of Northumberland County Council were last night accused of "passing the buck" after averting a potential defeat in a key vote on the controversial issue of local government reform.

Opposition councillors attacked them for cobbling together a last-minute compromise deal in order to head off a possible rebellion by their own members over backing for a single "super council" to run the county.

An extraordinary meeting of the county council agreed to submit two rival bids to the Government - one for a single unitary council and the other for two unitaries along urban and rural lines as recommended by the six district councils.

It means the county council is not expressing a preference for either option - a move seen by opposition councillors as a major climbdown from the Labour leadership's original recommendation to call for a single unitary.

An 11th-hour amendment tabled by council leader Bill Brooks called for both options to be submitted for Government scrutiny, with ministers asked to decide which one they feel is best for the future of Northumberland.

The compromise was aimed at winning the support of a number of Labour county councillors who are known to be supporters of two new unitary councils, one for Blyth Valley and Wansbeck and the other for the four rural districts.

The Journal revealed last week how Labour councillors were threatened with suspension from the ruling group if they failed to support the leadership's call for a single unitary.

Last night opposition councillors condemned the compromise move as "a sop to a damaged administration" and claimed it smacked of desperation.

The Labour leadership's original recommendation to yesterday's meeting was for the county council to "endorse the case for a single unitary council".

Independent councillor Gordon Castle said: "The amendment is an attempt to have our cake and eat it when what we need is clarity. We are being asked to give our clear endorsement to one option or the other. The only option in the best interest of Northumberland is the two unitary one and we should say so unequivocally."

Fellow Independent Jeff Watson said: "We are trying to pass the buck here by putting forward two options. We are saying we are not sure what we are doing by passing it to the Government."

Northumberland's six district councils are meeting this week to finalise agreement on submitting their joint bid for two unitary councils to the Government. Coun Brooks said he remains convinced that a single unitary council is best for Northumberland under local government reform, but the Government needed to see all of the alternative proposals.

"I have no fear of both submissions going forward to central Government. The White Paper doesn't make any provision for a referendum on this, but it does say the Government will consult stakeholders. I want to take as much heat out of the situation as possible. If we are going to make radical change in Northumberland it has to be the right radical change."

Yesterday's meeting rejected an amendment by the Liberal Democrat group that both rival submissions should go forward, with the county council expressing a "preference" for two unitary councils. It also rejected a notice of motion by Tory and Independent group leader Alex Kerr for the council not to support a bid for a single super council.

This Motion was carried on Saturday 13 January 2007 at the Blyth CLP of GMC of Labour Party

Photo of Bill Brooks






















Emergency Motion to Blyth Valley CLP Saturday 13 January 2007

Motion submitted by Unison 04199 Branch

Blyth Valley CLP wholeheartedly supports the Labour Party MP’s, Ronnie Campbell and Denis Murphy’s stand to form two unitary authorities (Urban & Rural) within the bounds of Northumberland County.

Blyth Valley CLP also agrees to support in it’s entirity, thebid by Blyth Valley Borough Council and the other five District Councils with in Northumberland to seek unitary status via the two unitary model. This motion also empowers members of the CLP to openly voice the opinions and support the views of the electorate of Northumberland who democratically enabled the MP’ s to shape their viewpoint when asked through the ballot box in November 2004
J Grant Davey Secretary and APF Officer 04199 Branch

Ivan Hayes, a County Councillor from Cramlington was the only person at the meeting who did not support the motion, he is also a cabinet member of Northumberland County Council.
Bill Brooks, Leader of the County Council who is a member of the GMC,was not present at the meeting according to our sources.