Maidstone Council Leader Wins Key Vote

The Green Party leader of Maidstone Borough Council, Stuart Jeffery, has easily survived a Conservative effort to remove him.

The Conservatives had complained that Cllr Jeffery had prioritised “discretionary initiatives and thematic projects” at the expense of the “practical needs and expectations” of residents.

Cllr Jeffrey had recently sought a pardon for local people historically hanged for being witches.

He was the subject of a motion tabled by the Conservatives citing several “concerns” over his stewardship of the authority.

But last night (December 3) the motion was easily defeated by 28 votes to 14.

Few believed that Cllr Jeffery, who leads a minority administration at MBC with the Liberal Democrats and others, would ever be in danger of losing.

After the result, Cllr Jeffery, who is also in the Green group at Kent County Council, said: “Democracy allows for these motions to happen but I am really pleased with the outcome as there is a significant level of support for my leadership.

“My style (of leadership) is my style. But I am delivering the programme I promised and I am able to reach out and engage with the community.”

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 of concern, which attracted national newspaper headlines.

The motion stated: “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 included 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”.

Another issue of concern is the level of public spending proposed for the de-carbonisation of Maidstone House, MBC’s main headquarters, at an estimated cost of around £7m, when the value of the building is thought to be half that.

Cllr Jeffery argued Maidstone House, purchased under the previous Conservative administration, needs to be de-carbonised to meet energy performance certification, so spare capacity can be let out on commercial terms.

He argued the housing supply loss 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.

During a lengthy debate, Conservative Cllr Claudine Russell, (pictured below) who is also a county  councillor, said: “Leadership is not measured by the number of initiatives launched, but by whether people feel the difference in their daily lives, how you speak and how you conduct yourself.

“A motion like this is never taken lightly. But when the leadership repeatedly drifts from its core mission, when priorities become misaligned and when residents feel the consequences everyday, we have a duty to act.”