Council leader bullish on no-confidence vote chances

A Reform UK council leader says he believes he can survive a vote of no confidence after being accused of bringing the authority "into disrepute".

Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch, who was appointed last summer at 19, said his skills were often "underestimated", adding "you cannot use my age to dismiss what I'm doing - we're doing a good job".

Green Party councillors called for a vote on Finch's position at the next full council meeting on 17 March, suggesting he had "abused the office of leader".

Finch said his party would go into the vote "with a strong notion that I am the man for the job," describing the vote as a "cheap political stunt from the Greens".

The council leader denied he had made mistakes during his tenure, describing the Green Party group leader Jonathan Chilvers as having "no experience of leading a council, so he doesn't understand the pressure of the job".

He also defended describing his management style as a "boots on neck-type" method to get things done, although added "maybe the terminology used could have been different".

The remarks were made to a political podcast, prompting concerns over staff morale at the authority.

"I still agree with the sentiment of that statement," Finch said, but denied alienating staff and politicians.

His remarks implied some council officers were reluctant to act on wishes of the elected leadership.

"When you are new into an administration, when a company merges or many other issues and circumstances where you do have to butt heads sometimes," he said.

"I am still 100% committed in doing everything I possibly can as leader of this council and it's about the emphasis on making sure that councils, not just in Warwickshire, but up and down this country, are member-led, not officer-led and I had to stamp my authority."

Asked about whether his lack of experience could have an impact on how he reacted to situations, he said some had not given him "a fair crack of the whip".

"I understand why people would do that, but what I've always said is don't judge me on my age, judge me on what I do," the youngest council leader in the UK said.

"People don't know my personal experiences in life - I've sat through A&E waiting lists for eight hours with my disabled sister.

"I've seen what a lot of 60 and 50-year-olds probably haven't.

"We've been to food banks, we've had a successful business, we've been poor.

"My dad having sepsis - seeing that in hospital, being told that he might not make it.

"I've seen these things and that's what creates me and makes me the man I am today, which gives me the experience - and not many 19-year-olds have experienced that."

The Green party said the no confidence motion had been submitted due to incidents including a row with the council's chief executive, Monica Fogarty, over Pride flags, and also a dispute with Warwickshire Police over their handling of a case involving the rape of a 12-year-old girl, calling the integrity of the chief constable into question.

He defended his actions, saying he had "stood strong with the community," and it had been a call for clarity.

"There's nothing wrong with doing that," he said.

Finch labelled the move by the Greens as a bid to get "political headlines and called on councillors who recently defected to Restore Britain from Reform to back him.

Council chairman Edward Harris also resigned the whip last month after it emerged he had been illegally running two unsafe rental properties.

Finch said those trying to remove him "haven't got a plan".

"We have got momentum, we have got a USP with me as leader," he said.

"We have got great ability in cabinet and councillors, we are doing a cracking job.

"We don't need councillors like in the opposition, throwing things like this last minute trying to get political headlines."

If the Liberal Democrats, Greens, Labour and Restore Britain councillors support the motion of no confidence, Finch's future will be in the hands of the Conservative group on the council.

If they support the motion or abstain, Reform would not have the numbers necessary to keep Finch in post.

"I have confidence that I will be, but we'll have to wait and see," the leader added.

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