CONSERVATIVES on Bradford Council are urging other opposition parties to back their vote of no confidence in the Council’s leadership.

The party – the biggest opposition group in the authority, will table a motion at the next full Council meeting on October 15 calling for a vote that could see the current Labour Executive removed from power.

The Conservative and Queensbury Independent Group want them replaced with an Executive made up of Councillors from across political parties.

Party leader Rebecca Poulson is putting forward the motion, and acknowledges that without cross party support it is likely to fail.

She says the current Executive “cannot be trusted to steer the Council back to stability.”

If the vote is successful, it could see Conservative Councillors given some of the most important roles on the authority – despite the party only holding 14 seats in the 90 strong Council chamber.

Seats on the six strong Executive could also be handed to members of other political parties.

Cllr Poulsen said: “We have not taken the decision to bring this motion forward lightly, the Executive Committee have had more than enough chances to show some signs of fitness for purpose and we simply cannot live in hope any longer, whilst they drift around looking for another banana skin to slip on and drag the District down yet further.

“The people who have caused all of these disasters cannot be trusted to steer the Council back to stability.

“It has been concerning to observe that whilst some of the other opposition members have criticised the Council’s Budget’s and other major errors during the Council Meetings, they have then voted in support of them or abstained.

“We are calling upon all opposition members to hold the Executive Committee to account and support our push for a cross-party Executive Committee. The residents who voted for them no doubt expect them to grasp the opportunity and without their support, our motion will fall.”

The Labour Party currently has 49 seats on the 90 strong Council. 46 are needed for a majority.

After the Conservatives announced their motion last week, Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “After 14 years of chaos when the previous government trashed our country, the people have just expressed a massive vote of no confidence in the Conservatives at the ballot box.

“The result is local political knockabout from the Tories who after a huge election defeat are trying to recover themselves.”