Maidstone council leader faces vote of no confidence
The motion will be heard at a full council meeting Wednesday
A Kent council leader is facing a vote of no confidence over his stewardship of the authority.
Conservatives on Maidstone Borough council (MBC) have tabled a motion citing several “concerns” about Cllr Stuart Jeffery.
They claim Cllr Jeffery, who heads the Green Party-led minority administration at MBC, has prioritised “discretionary initiatives and thematic projects” at the expense of the “practical needs and expectations” of residents.
The Tories, who are the biggest single party but do not have a majority, cited Cllr Jeffery’s recent proposal to pardon people historically convicted as witches as one issue.
The motion states: “While recognising that such matters may hold symbolic or academic interest, council considers that they do not constitute an effective use of the authority’s time or resources when set against the borough’s pressing operational and financial challenges.”
Other Conservative concerns include the loss of housing supply, infrastructure, local environmental maintenance and “fiscal stewardship” which they claim “require consistent focused leadership to ensure that public money is directed towards essential, outcome-driven activity”.
Most observers do not believe that the Tories, with 13 of the 49 councillors at MBC, have the numbers to oust Cllr Jeffery, who is also becoming an increasingly prominent member of the Green Party group at Kent County Council (KCC).
Another issue of concern is level of public spending proposed for the de-carbonisation of Maidstone House, MBC’s main headquarters, at an estimated cost of around £7m.
Cllr Jeffery said he will be preparing a detailed rebuttal of the claims made against him.
He added: “They (the Tories) are picking up on political issues actions they don’t agree with. That’s the nature of politics.
“But there is no substance to the motion itself. I need to address each of the individual points but I would say they are playing games and that it is pointless.”
Cllr Jeffery said that Maidstone House, which was bought under the previous Conservative administration, needs to be de-carbonised to meet energy performance certification, so that spare capacity can be let on commercial terms.
He added that the loss of the housing supply was partly due to the Conservatives’ own Local Plan which was passed before the Greens took control of MBC and in part due to the “crashing” housing development conditions in recent years.
Conservative Cllr Claudine Russell, who is also a KCC member, said: “I think is time for a line in the sand. We have given him (Cllr Jeffery) 18 months and been relatively supportive and not causing trouble for the sake of it but now we do not like the direction he is taking the council.
“He seems to be taking eye off the ball and spends more time on his own ideological projects.”
The motion will be heard at a full council meeting on Wednesday 3 December.