City leader faces second no confidence vote

Karen Kilgour became Newcastle City Council's leader on 1 October

A council leader is facing a second vote of no confidence in less than a year.

It is the second time Newcastle City Council chief Karen Kilgour has seen a challenge to her leadership since taking office last October.

Independent councillor Marc Donnelly has brought the motion against Labour's Kilgour, who became the first woman to the lead the city when she took over from Nick Kemp. Her predecessor is among the signatories of the motion.

Ahead of the vote later, deputy council leader Alex Hay said: "At the moment, we're just getting on with the job of running the council."

Kilgour faced her first vote of no confidence in December after Kemp, who was then the subject of a bullying complaint, and five other councillors quit the Labour Party to become independents.

Kemp was later cleared of breaching the council's code of conduct.

'What next?'

Labour currently has 37 councillors, two short of a majority, with the Liberal Democrats the largest opposition group with 22.

No Liberal Democrats have signed the motion, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, but leader Colin Ferguson promised he would listen to both sides of the argument.

Ferguson said: "I don't know what they're trying. I will be listening to the arguments and what they expect to happen next.

"Are we ready for a change? Absolutely. But the political effect is we wouldn't be able to appoint a new leader until November and we would likely have a new candidate from Labour. Are we likely to see any change?"

He said the only way this issue would be resolved would be at the ballot box in May.

"I make no secret of my desire to be leader of the council, but I will do it the right way."

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