No confidence motion issued for city council leader

Baggy Shanker is the Labour leader of Derby City Council

Opposition councillors have issued a vote of no confidence in Derby City Council leader, Baggy Shanker.

The motion outlines "the conduct and actions" regarding the Sinfin waste plant which, it claims, has "resulted in potentially placing the authority in a financially dangerous position".

Mr Shanker, who leads the ruling Labour group and is standing to become an MP, said the motion was "a desperate act of political opportunism".

Derby City Council said they are seeking external legal advice on when the motion will be debated due to the general election campaigning period.

The city council and Derbyshire County Council agreed in February 2023 to fix and operate the planned Sinfin Lane site.

However, the two authorities are now in formal dispute after the county council issued an invoice to the city council of £93.9m plus VAT to recover its share of costs for the project.

The councils met on 24 May in an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute, and said they will now enter the next stage of "formal dispute resolution processes".

Derby City Council said it "disputes the validity" of the county council's invoice.

The waste treatment plant in Sinfin, which was never used, was mothballed in 2019

Derby City Council's Conservative group leader, Steve Hassall, who tabled the motion, called on Mr Shanker to resign from his post.

He claimed a "majority" of councillors have "lost confidence" in the leader’s "ability and motives" to resolve the issue "without further detrimental impact to finances, services and council employees".

"The situation the council currently faces is extremely serious and should be of real concern to all Derby residents," he said.

"We need to take decisive action now to remove this leader who has overseen and played a significant role in delivering the prospect of bankrupting our council and who is equally incapable of guiding us out of this perilous situation."

The motion was seconded by Alan Graves, from Reform UK.

Derby City Council Conservative group leader, Steve Hassall

In a statement, Mr Shanker said: "It is no coincidence that two of the signatories to the motion happen to be standing against me in the general election to become the next MP for Derby South. Timing is everything.

"The councillors are also aware that my contractual obligations prevent me from fully defending the council’s position publicly.

"The joint statement released with the county council sheds some light on the current dispute: the city is contesting an invoice, while the county is challenging the city's request to review the business case. I cannot comment further on this matter at this time."

Derby South candidates intending to stand so far

• Alan Graves - Reform UK

• Jamie Mulhall - Conservative

• Joe Naitta - Liberal Democrats

• Baggy Shanker - Labour

• Sam Ward - Green Party

• Chris Williamson - Workers Party of Britain

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.