Conservative Councillors Block Calls for This Year's Elections to Go Ahead

Bromsgrove's Conservative councillors have voted down calls from the Liberal Democrats for the council elections in May to go ahead as planned, whilst Labour councillors abstained on the vote.

The Conservative leader of Worcestershire County Council has asked the government to step in to halt the elections which were due to take place in May this year, in order for the County Council and all of Worcestershire's District Councils to merge. This comes despite there not being a consensus between Worcestershire's six District Councils to support the move, and county councillors not being able to debate or vote on this beforehand.

The Liberal Democrats put forward a motion to Bromsgrove District Council at their meeting on Wednesday 22nd January to ask that the Council opposes the attempts being made to stop the elections.

Criticism was lodged at the motion from others parties that suggested the motion should not be allowed to stand, but this was quickly rebutted by confirmation that the motion has passed the legal checks and is constitutional. 

Responding to this criticism, Lib Dem Councillor for Avoncroft, Dr David Nicholl said: “Person after person that I have spoken to in the last few weeks are appalled at the County Council elections being cancelled and this is an opportunity for us to make this very clear, and that's why we're here.”

Lib Dem Councillor for Slideslow ward Councillor Sam Evans added: "Every single resident I have spoken to thinks it is outrageous that these elections could be cancelled. Every single one." Councillor Evans added that he had also spoken to lifelong Conservative voters who had supported the party through thick and thin and they were furious that the Conservative run County Council was trying to stop elections from taking place.

Group leader for the Liberal Democrats Councillor Rob Hunter highlighted the inconsistency in Bromsgrove's Labour councillors not supporting the motion, pointing out that the Labour leaders of Worcester City Council and Redditch Borough Council are opposing the attempts to halt the elections.

Rebutting criticism from the Conservatives that holding the elections as scheduled would cost money amid a time when resources are thin for the County Council, District and County Councillor Josh Robinson said: "Democracy costs money to have elections. We shouldn't just stop having elections because it costs money." 

Councillor Robinson added "I just can't believe that we are all sitting here as democrats and yet some councillors don't want to have a view on whether we think a democratic election should go on." 

The vote was narrowly lost with 7 councillors voting for the motion to support the elections going ahead as planned, and 10 councillors voting against. Labour councillors abstained on the motion.