Cabinet unveiled following council revolt

A new leadership team has been announced at Boston Town Hall

A new cabinet has been unveiled at Boston Borough Council after the authority's leader was voted out of office.

The nine-strong cabinet is a coalition, led by Dale Broughton, the former deputy leader.

It comes as 14 members who recently quit as Boston Independents have formed a new Progressive Independents Boston group.

The cabinet comprises seven Progressive Independents, a Conservative, and new deputy leader Mike Gilbert, who sits with the 20-20 Independent group.

The shake-up at the town hall means the Progressive Independents are just shy of a majority, with 14 of the 30 councillors sitting as members of the new group.

There are seven members of the 20-20 group, four Conservatives and two unaligned councillors.

Anne Dorrian, of the Boston Independents, was ousted as council leader in a vote earlier this week.

She co-founded the group and became leader after the party took control of the authority in 2023.

She is now one of just three remaining members of the Boston Independents following the recent mass defections.

Anne Dorrian was removed as council leader on Monday night

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Dorrian called the defectors "selfish beyond measure".

"I wasn't brought down by voters – it was a group who chose betrayal over bravery, and cowardice over conversation," she said.

New leader Broughton responded that "14 out of 17 councillors can't be wrong".

Gilbert described the spat as a "domestic issue for the Boston Independent group".

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