Newcastle City Council Leader to Face No Confidence Vote

The leader of a city council, Karen Kilgour, is confronting a no confidence vote only two months after assuming her position. Kilgour made history as the first female leader of Newcastle City Council when she took office in October, succeeding Nick Kemp, who had resigned. This vote is scheduled for Wednesday, initiated by a motion from the Liberal Democrats, who constitute the local authority’s second largest political group. Should the motion succeed, Kilgour would be removed from her role, and a new leader would be designated at the subsequent council meeting in mid-January. This development follows the departure of Kemp and five other city councillors from the Labour party last month, who subsequently became independents, resulting in the council operating under ‘no overall control’. Kemp’s resignation as leader occurred in September, following revelations that he was the subject of a bullying complaint lodged by a senior council director. The no confidence motion, put forward by Lib Dem councillor Christine Morrissey, stated that the council was of the opinion that Kilgour could not persist “without a clear mandate.” The motion elaborated: “Council notes that the chamber is now in no overall control, following the defection of six Labour members to independent status.” It further asserted: “Council believes that the leader cannot continue in post without a clear mandate from council, as now constituted, which can only be tested through a vote under Article Seven of the Constitution.” Currently, Labour holds 39 seats within the council. The remaining seats are distributed among 22 Liberal Democrats, 11 independents, three members from the Newcastle Independents party, two Green Party councillors, and one Conservative member. A spokesperson for the local authority confirmed that if the motion passes on Wednesday, a new leader would need to be appointed at the subsequent council meeting. The spokesperson also stated: “Until a new leader is appointed, the remaining members of cabinet will act in the leader’s place.”