BCP Council leader Vikki Slade ousted in second confidence vote loss

Liberal Democrat Vikki Slade was elected leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in May 2019

A council leader has been ousted following a second vote of no confidence in four months.

Lib Dem Vikki Slade failed to win support over a Tory motion stating "a high level of public frustration and mistrust" in her administration.

She had led Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council since May 2019, under the Unity Alliance coalition.

Ms Slade, who survived the previous vote in June, accused the Conservatives of "blatant opportunism".

The Unity Alliance - made up of Lib Dem, Poole People, Labour, Green and independent councillors - took control of the newly-formed local authority following the 2019 elections.

But the council has been criticised over a number of temporary road closures and pop-up cycle route projects designed to encourage walking and travel as a response to the coronavirus pandemic under the government's Active Travel scheme.

Conservative group leader Drew Mellor told the online meeting the council needed a "stable administration".

The deaths of two councillors and the departure of an independent further weakened the coalition's position.

The Conservative's motion passed by 39 votes to 33 during an online meeting of the council, the Local Democracy Reporting service said.

Conservative group leader Drew Mellor, said residents had been failed by a "hapless" administration.

"Our fears of what would come to pass have been sadly confounded as the Unity Alliance lurched within 24 hours from one crisis and one U-turn to another," he said.

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However, Ms Slade said she was "incredibly proud" of what her administration had achieved.

"Had we not seen the deaths of two of our colleagues the opportunity to bring a vote against us would not have come about and we would have weathered the storm," she said.

She rejected an offer to remain as leader in a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, saying she would not be "Poole's Nick Clegg".

A previous vote of no confidence in June was defeated on the casting vote of the council chairman.

A new leader is due to be decided at a council meeting on 1 October.

Analysis

By Tristan Pascoe, BBC Radio Solent political reporter

Vikki Slade won national recognition and praise for the way the council responded to the pandemic, helping homeless people off the streets and distributing business support grants.

She was on Bournemouth Beach in June when services were completely overwhelmed by thousands of visitors and declared a state of emergency as fights broke out on the beach.

But more recently the authority has been criticised for its approach to emergency travel orders. Many Tories accused the alliance of being "anti-car" by implementing pop-up cycle lanes and temporary road closures with little or no consultation.

So the Unity Alliance experiment has ultimately failed. Less than 18 months on the Conservatives are back in power and are likely to remain there until the next elections in four years time.