Broxtowe's first meeting to take place since 'astonishing' announcement as Labour lost council

Councillor Teresa Cullen of the Broxtowe Independents at the group's launch in Beeston, stood in front of her fellow councillors delivering a speech behind a microphone
-Credit:Joseph Raynor/Reach PLC


The first meeting of Broxtowe Borough Council is set to take place since an 'astonishing' announcement in which Labour lost control of the authority. Twenty former Labour councillors in Broxtowe announced on January 2 that they were resigning from the party to form a new Broxtowe Independents group.

That independent group will now be running the council under a minority arrangement, given that they do not have enough councillors to form a majority. This means the group will be reliant on the support of opposition councillors to get measures voted through.

Broxtowe Borough Council's cabinet, including leader Milan Radulovic and deputy leader Greg Marshall, is now set to meet at 6pm on Tuesday (January 7) following the shock defection. Also set to be in attendance are Peter Bales and Helen Faccio, two of the six councillors who have decided to stay in Labour.

ADVERTISEMENT

Will you be voting in the local elections in May? Let us know here

Items being discussed include the response to the council's recent consultation on its budget for the forthcoming financial year. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, says the formation of the Broxtowe Independents shows there is an existential crisis facing both the Labour and Conservative parties.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live from his party's conference in Leicester, Mr Farage said: "I couldn't believe it, what a big story. The party has got real, real problems and normally, you'd expect a mass resignation event like that halfway or two thirds through a parliamentary term.

"The fact that this is happening after six months is truly astonishing. Since 1918, basically it's been Labour or Conservative.

"For the first time in over 100 years, we have to ask ourselves the question - is there a real future for the Labour and Conservative parties? Is a very different kind of politics beginning to emerge?"

ADVERTISEMENT

The East Midlands Socialist Party has called on all Labour councillors across the region to follow the actions of the 20 Broxtowe councillors. The party said: "The new Broxtowe group of councillors have highlighted issues that have angered working class people everywhere - the scrapping of the Winter Fuel Allowance, the retention of the two-child benefit cap, the betrayal of the WASPI women pensioners and the government's weak response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

"They have also shown that any criticism of the government's policies results in the anti-democratic blocking of them standing as county council Labour candidates. Those who voted Labour for change have been let down by the government's continuation of Tory austerity, which is leaving council services, the NHS, schools and other public services in desperate states.

"The Socialist Party calls on Labour councillors across the East Midlands to follow those Broxtowe councillors' example and resign from Labour. As local authorities draw up their new budgets, councillors should defend public services - not administer cuts destroying them."

The remaining Broxtowe Labour councillors previously said in a statement: "It is incredibly disappointing that some Broxtowe councillors have decided to leave the Labour Party and sit as independents when they were elected on a Labour ticket just over 18 months ago. These defections have no effect on the commitment of the remaining Labour councillors in serving our residents.

"We, together with our Labour colleagues including MPs Juliet Campbell and Alex Norris, will continue to work to make Broxtowe a healthier, greener, safer and more prosperous place for everyone as change begins under this Labour government."