Agenda item

A request was made that any Councillors nominated as Leader of the Council be given an opportunity to explain their manifestos prior to a vote.

Councillor Matthew Lee was proposed and seconded as Leader of the Council. Reference was made to Councillor Lee’s experience across both the private and public sector, noting specifically his role as Deputy Leader of Peterborough City Council and the active role he had played on committees in South Kesteven since his election. His supporters stated that they felt that the Council would be able to deliver more as a result of his leadership.

Councillor Ian Selby was also nominated for the position of Leader; this proposition was seconded. Those speaking in support of Councillor Selby felt that he would be able to be consultative and neutral. Reference was also made to his many years of experience as he was the longest-serving member of the Council and the commitment he had shown to public service during his term of office as Mayor of Grantham.

It was proposed and seconded that, following the vote to appoint the Leader, article 4.11.4 of the Council’s Constitution be suspended so that the successful nominee could fully outline their plans for the authority. This was put to the vote and carried. A request was also made that a recorded vote be taken for the position of Leader. In accordance with article 4.13.4 of the Council’s Constitution it was agreed that the vote would be recorded after more than ten Members indicated their support for the proposition.

Both candidates had the opportunity to speak. Councillor Selby accepted his nomination and said that he would be honoured to serve as Leader; he would look across the Council for his Cabinet. Councillor Lee stated that he looked forward to the opportunity to work with Members from across the whole Council.

The vote was taken:

Councillor Lee was duly elected as Leader of the Council. He said that the changes that he wanted to make would see Councillors in the driving seat. His proposals would support markets, shops and local businesses, championing them and helping them to reach their full potential so that towns were working communities. He added that the Council needed to respond to long-term structure changes. He stated that he was passionate about the area and making a positive, lasting difference by attracting new industries and jobs and looking at making the district’s offer more attractive.

The Leader added that every Councillor needed to work together, regardless of political affiliation and that he wanted all Members to be more involved in holding each other to account, increasing debate and participation in the Chamber. He alluded to the proposed changes to overview and scrutiny which would be discussed at agenda item 11b.

He stated a commitment to improving working conditions for the officers of the Council so that it could retain and attract the best staff.

He introduced his Cabinet and gave an overview of their responsibilities (listed under minute number 10). He added that appointments were based on merit and whom he believed was best for each role.

Finally the Leader outlined his priorities and the areas on which he intended to focus. He wanted to make sure that all areas were vibrant, clean and attractive and any areas not up to those standards would be the subject of a large scale clean-up operation. The development focus for the district would be Grantham, making it a desirable attractive place that people wanted to live and visit. He talked about building on festivals and existing arts and heritage events in the district, continuing with plans for a cinema in Grantham, carrying out work in relation to leisure centres in Stamford, Bourne and the Deepings and introducing a heritage festival in Bourne. He concluded by saying that he hoped the new Cabinet and the introduction of new overview and scrutiny committees demonstrated his commitment to ensuring that everyone should have a voice in policy and decision-making.

Councillor Cook addressed the Chamber, stating that he could not align with the new leadership and was resigning from the Conservative group, continuing his term as an unaligned independent Councillor.

A number of Members spoke in response to the Leader’s statement, expressing some concern about his comments on inclusivity, which they did not feel were reflected in the overview and scrutiny proposals, under which the Labour group would have no representation on any scrutiny committee. Several comments were also made about the inclusive approach taken by the previous Leader and how that was reflected in the unanimous approval of the Council’s Budget, which had previously been unknown and the withdrawal of opposition amendments. It was hoped that the new Leader would honour the proposals raised during debate on the budget on 2 March 2017, which the previous Leader had agreed to take on board.

There was support for improving the office conditions however speakers said that this needed to be balanced against the people who lived in the area and the need to manage budgets in accordance with the needs of the community.

The choice of the Cabinet Member responsible for promoting growth was also questioned, as that Member was not a Grantham Councillor.

The Leader responded to the comments, reiterating that Cabinet appointments were based on the selected Councillors having the appropriate skills and experience to successfully deliver. He had an expectation that all Cabinet Members would quickly get to grips with their areas of responsibility. In respect of working conditions for Council officers, the Leader clarified that when he had walked around the building, the staff that he had encountered were dedicated and wanted to do their best,  he wanted to ensure that accommodation and equipment was of a suitable standard. The Leader invited any Member with concerns or issues in their Ward to speak to an appropriate Cabinet Member, or to him directly, and they would visit the area to look more closely at those concerns.