Vote to be held to remove council leader

The county's small population means its council will have to merge with others

A move to oust the leader of Rutland County Council will be voted on by councillors later.

The Conservative group said it had no confidence in Liberal Democrat Gale Waller and a vote would take place "to remove the leader from office".

It claimed the council should be considering wider options in the local government reform process, which could see the end of the authority itself.

The Conservatives recently won a by-election, leaving the make-up of the county council as 11 Liberal Democrats, seven Conservatives, seven independents and two Labour councillors.

A special meeting will be held on Tuesday

A major reorganisation of local government could see smaller district councils merged with county councils to create single bodies, known as unitary authorities, representing populations of about 500,000.

However, as Rutland has a population of about 40,000, it cannot remain independent.

Waller had previously said while there were informal discussions with South Kesteven in Lincolnshire, her understanding from the government was reorganisation must follow health and policing boundaries, linking it with Leicestershire.

A number of meetings have been organised by Rutland and Stamford's Conservative MP Alicia Kearns to discuss the issue.

She has backed the new vote. In a post online, she said: "In January, the leader set Rutland on an irreversible path to losing our independence and ending Rutland as we know it.

"She informed the government there was 'unanimous in-principle agreement to a mayoral authority... and local government re-organisation'.

"This was without any consultation with me as the member of Parliament, Rutland's councillors, or residents."

Waller and the Liberal Democrat group have been approached for comment.

The special council meeting will be held on Tuesday at 19:00 BST.