Council faces leadership vote over venue 'debacle'

Labour holds 49 seats out of the 90 on Bradford Council

Bradford Council’s leadership is under threat after the biggest opposition party announced it would be holding a vote of no confidence at the next full council meeting.

Conservative and Queensbury Independent Group said the decision was made following the announcement that the NEC Group had pulled out of operating new music venue Bradford Live.

Almost £44m of the £50m project was publicly funded, but council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said the venue would still be used during Bradford City of Culture 2025.

Conservative and Queensbury Independent Group leader Rebecca Poulsen said the “debacle” was the “straw that broke our collective backs”.

“For months councillors and the public have been kept in the dark over what is happening with this project,” she said.

“We have been deliberating taking this step for some time, but feared that it may cause further upheaval in a collapsing council.”

She added the council’s leadership had “repeatedly humiliated the district on the national stage in the run up to the City of Culture year”.

The vote is expected to be held on October 15 and if successful would lead to the council's leaders stepping down.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the team is made up of six Labour councillors and is headed by Hinchcliffe, who has held the role since 2016.

Hinchcliffe described the move as “political knockabout”.

She said: “After 14 years of chaos when the previous government trashed our country, the people have just expressed a massive vote of no confidence in the Conservatives at the ballot box.”

Labour currently holds 49 seats out of the 90 on the council. Conservatives and Queensbury Independents are the biggest opposition with 14 seats.

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