Coventry City Council chief executive avoids no-confidence vote

Martin Reeves (left) said he had kept senior councillors including George Duggins informed

The chief executive of Coventry City Council escaped a no-confidence vote, it has emerged, as the proposal for a motion was not backed by enough councillors at a Labour group meeting.

It followed concerns over how far the council had gone in talks on a possible bailout of rugby union club Wasps.

The club and stadium operators have since gone into administration.

Council chief executive Martin Reeves said he had kept councillors fully informed.

He added he had never "committed formally to any taxpayers' money".

The freehold of stadium the CBS Arena is owned by Coventry City Council, while the operator Arena Coventry Limited (ACL) was acquired outright by Wasps' parent company in 2014.

Wasps Holdings, which owned both the club and ACL, signalled its intent to enter administration in September.

On Thursday, ACL and other stadium companies were officially put into administration.

They are now owned by preferred bidder Mike Ashley.

Wasps took on the stadium, in Coventry, in 2014 after acquiring 100% of operator ACL

Councillors across the political divide had questioned the involvement of Mr Reeves in talks with the companies about a possible rescue deal in the weeks before that.

The council's Labour leader George Duggins told members at a meeting on 18 October he had held "no discussions" over possible council financing for ACL.

Mr Reeves said cabinet members had been briefed on "speculative" talks amid claims of possible council match-funding as part of a £60m bailout package.

'No intention of resigning'

Deputy Conservative group leader Peter Male said this week: "Elected members on both sides have been led up the garden path. We are quite simply in resignation territory."

Mr Duggins said he had "no intention of resigning" following concerns raised over his handling of the arena financing talks, and how much he knew.

Meanwhile, the BBC has seen an email from a councillor who wished to table a motion of no confidence in Mr Reeves and which was sent to colleagues. It was sent on the basis the political leadership had not been kept informed.

It said Mr Duggins, who had argued against a confidence vote in the chief executive, had said he was "too expensive to get rid of", "we could be without a chief executive for a year" and "the chief executive will come after the people behind this".

Four councillors have separately told the BBC Mr Duggins made those comments, but he denies two of them.

He told the BBC: "Only one of the three statements you attribute to me is correct. That is that we could be without a chief executive for a year."

Mike Ashley is the new owner of the stadium following a hearing on Thursday

The vote of no confidence in the chief executive was not held after failing to secure the backing of one third of councillors at the meeting of the Labour group.

In a statement earlier this month, the local authority said: "Coventry City Council has never been asked, or considered, bailing out either Wasps or ACL, the company which runs the CBS Arena.

"The city council has always made it clear that senior officers at the council had discussions with a number of potential third party funders related to the CBS Arena.

"Any potential proposal alongside others did not get to a state that could have justified informal discussions with senior politicians within the council, let alone any formal commercial negotiations and consideration."

'Private discussions'

Mr Reeves told BBC CWR: "I've always kept the political members here aware of what's happening, without going into any detail, because it's not got to that point.

"Actually, I and senior officers have been doing exactly the job that we're meant to be doing, which is making sure we safeguard the long-term of that asset."

Mr Reeves added he was not a member of the Labour group and "not part of their private discussions".

"If, as it appears, there are any internal challenges within the Labour group, this is not something I should or can get involved in. Equally these discussions should not be allowed to affect my role as the statutory head of paid service," he said.

"I work for and on behalf of the city council and our residents and alongside senior officers and everyone that works at the council.

"We will continue to work hard and deliver services to local people.

"This has included helping the CBS Arena to continue to operate and for Coventry City Football Club to continue to play their recent games there.

"Furthermore, we are building relationships that can hopefully secure the continued regeneration of the area, which is another clear, strategic priority for the city council."