Council leader running scared, says opposition

A council leader who said a major shake-up of local government could collapse if elections go ahead has been accused of running scared.

In a letter sent to government, Norfolk County Council Conservative leader Kay Mason Billig did not ask for the polls to be postponed.

But she said the election would affect the council's "capacity" to move forward with Westminster's devolution plans.

Opposition parties said she had effectively argued for this May's elections to be delayed, and Green group leader Catherine Rowett said the Tories were "running scared".

Last year's county council elections were postponed for the same reason; because of preparations for local government reform.

Last month Mason Billig told a meeting of the council she had "no intention" of asking for a delay, insisting: "That's not what I'm about."

Later in the month, ministers told council leaders they would consider postponing polls until 2027 if requested, due to the pressures of planning for local government reform.

In the letter she sent to government on Thursday, she said: "I must also emphasise the electorate's right to vote, which I hold dearly and, as a Conservative, would wish to see protected."

However, she outlined numerous "risks" if the council was expected to simultaneously prepare for the creation of new unitary authorities by 2028.

She warned the council would not be able to make major decisions in the run up to an election, and that a new council administration may not want to move forward with devolution.

"I cannot guarantee that my council will be able to deliver devolution," she said in her conclusion.

Brian Watkins, the leader of the council's main opposition group the Liberal Democrats, said: "They claim to support them going ahead, but the letter proceeds to make the strongest possible case against this being allowed to happen."

Rowett continued: "This is not the way to run a democracy."

She added the council had a budget to run elections, and that while new councillors might need training "these are the costs of ensuring that the administration has a democratic mandate".

Robin Hunter-Clarke, Reform UK's Norfolk organiser, said he believed the letter "has now made it very likely the government will now cancel the elections".

Hunter-Clarke, who quit the Tories after the decision to postpone last year's vote, said pushing elections back was "dangerous for democracy".

But Steve Morphew on the other hand, leader of the county council's Labour group, admitted that devolution required "a vast amount of work".

In response, Mason Billig insisted the final decision rested with government and that she had asked council staff to provide "a factual and technical response".

"The letter contains the truth, it is the actual situation that we face. I am not going to pretend otherwise in order to satisfy anyone's political ambitions," she added.

She also pointed out that when local government reorganisation has taken place in other parts of the country, elections have been postponed.

Earlier this week, Mike Stonard – the Labour leader of Norwich City Council – asked government to delay its local elections.

In total, 63 local authorities due to hold votes this year were asked for their views, with the government expected to approve requests in the coming days.

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