Nottingham Councillor and Former Sheriff Departs Labour Party

Nottingham City Councillor Shuguftah Quddoos, who previously served as Sheriff of Nottingham, has resigned from the Labour Party. Her resignation follows a suspension from the party in March, imposed after she voted against budget cuts she characterized as “devastating.” At the time of the vote, Councillor Quddoos held the civic title of Sheriff and was the sole councillor to defy party directives by opposing the budget’s approval. In her announcement of resignation, she informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service that her decision was influenced by the Poplar Rates Rebellion, a 1921 event in London during which 30 Labour councillors were imprisoned. The Poplar councillors’ refusal to comply with a court order to impose increased taxes on the borough’s less affluent residents ultimately resulted in the enactment of legislation aimed at more effectively balancing tax responsibilities between wealthy and impoverished citizens. The budget plans for Nottingham City Council, which received approval for the current year, incorporated provisions for 550 job reductions, a 5% increase in council tax, and reductions in youth services. Nottingham City Council, under the control of the Labour Party, is preparing to release its budget for the financial year commencing in April 2025. The council, which declared effective bankruptcy in late 2023, is confronting a budget deficit of £69 million, projected to escalate to a total of £172 million over the forthcoming three-year period. In her resignation letter, Councillor Quddoos stated: “The budget for 2025 is being written. It is likely that the cuts in it will be just as damaging as the cuts made in 2024, if not more so.” “The people who will be most impacted by these cuts are going completely unheard.” “If I cannot speak up for them in the way they want me to without being sanctioned for it, I cannot remain in the party.” Quddoos intends to continue serving her Berridge ward as an independent councillor. It is understood that a Labour Party investigation concerning Quddoos had not reached its conclusion at the time of her resignation. A spokesperson for the Labour Party commented: “The new Labour leadership at Nottingham City Council is focused on taking the tough and responsible decisions to fix our local authority, and it is making progress.” “We will continue to focus on this work as a team and get on with the task at hand for the people of our city, not be distracted by sniping from the sidelines.” Information on how to follow BBC Nottingham is available on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or by WhatsApp at 0808 100 2210. Copyright for this content is held by the BBC, 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites and provides information regarding its policy on external linking.