Council leader decision sparks 'land grab' claims

Lynn Denham is the sole leader of Worcester City Council after previously sharing the post with the Green Party's Marjory Bisset

Labour has been accused of a "land grab" in Worcester after appointing its own councillors to the posts of council leader and deputy leader.

The party had shared leadership of the council with the Greens until the beginning of the month, but gained an extra three seats in elections on 2 May.

However, it failed to secure a majority and the Greens had called for a joint leader, with representatives from the two biggest parties.

Instead, on Tuesday Labour announced that its councillors Lynn Denham and Jabba Riaz would be leader and deputy leader respectively.

Green Councillor Louis Stephen made the "land grab" comments before Ms Denham defended the move, saying "the council cannot really speak with two different voices".

Speaking during the council meeting at the Guildhall, Mr Stephen said: "Worcester City Council is in no overall control and this change in governance is nothing short of a land grab of the city council."

Adding to his comments after the meeting, he said: "We believe that as the city has put no individual party in overall control, it is critical that all parties work together to run our city in line with how residents have voted.

"It is disappointing that Labour have now rejected that offer and have instead taken for themselves most of the council leadership positions."

'Deliver our vision'

The Greens also gained a seat in the most recent elections, but saw Labour miss out on a majority by just one seat.

Ms Denham, who had been joint leader alongside the Greens' Marjory Bisset until the recent local election, explained her party's decision, saying: "It is really important to have a clear vision for the council.

"It was an interesting experience last year for me as joint leader with the Green leader but neither of us were actually empowered to deliver our vision and values."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]