Embattled Gloucester City Council is in disarray after its Liberal Democrat leader Jeremy Hilton was deposed last night “without a plan” for who would replace him.
The authority, which has faced huge challenges in recent years including a cyber attack and needing an £15.5m emergency bailout this year to avoid effectively becoming bankrupt, is now leaderless.
This comes after a vote of no confidence in the Kingsholm and Wotton councillor, who led the 17-strong minority Lib Dem administration at North Warehouse, succeeded during the full council meeting on September 24.
Now civic chiefs fear Government commissioners could be sent in to take over decision-making powers at the council which the meeting heard may also need millions of pounds of further financial aid.
The motion to depose the Lib Dem chief was tabled by Community Independent Alastair Chambers (Maston, Robinswood and White City) and received the full backing of the Conservative and Labour groups.
Cllr Chambers told the meeting he brought forward the motion because of “broken promises”, the council’s financial situation, failure to sell Gloucestershire Airport, an increase in fees and charges, “millions of pounds lost” at Kingswalk and Eastgate shopping centres.
“Something needs to be done,” he said. “Leadership needs to be changed.”
But Deputy Leader Declan Wilson (LD, Hucclecote), who has been leading the authority’s financial recovery plan, said he was astonished at Cllr Chambers’ speech.
It was as if Cllr Chambers had been “asleep for the last two years”, he said.
Cllr Wilson explained that the council’s situation is due to them discovering undetected overspends “as a result of not having done any accounts” an issue the Lib Dems repeatedly raised concerns about while in opposition.
“I made it my first priority to clean all that up and find out exactly where we are financially,” he said.
“Then we discovered all these overspends. The overspends were then put in and done properly in the books and we discovered then the council was already bankrupt before we took it over.”
He said that is the reason unpopular budget decisions have been made at the authority. And he added that the council’s debt “exploded” under the Conservatives and rose from £35m in 2019 to around £116 in 2024.
“That is a hell of an increase and it was done at the same time that interest rates are going up,” Cllr Wilson said.
He said a recent Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy report said the council’s main issues were legacy and high boring costs.
“You can ignore that, but it doesn’t make it go away,” he said and called on councillors to vote against the motion which he saw as a “pantomime” and a “farce”.
But Labour group leader Terry Pullen (Moreland) criticised the Lib Dem leader for a lack of collaborative working and said nobody believes him anymore.
“Cllr Hilton has bulldozed his way forward with his priorities with scant regard for any opposition parties,” he said.
“It’s been Hilton’s way or no way.
“Little wonder he’s losing the confidence of this council.”
He also blasted the decision to refuse plans which included “£45m of funding” to improve housing in Podsmead and said Cllr Hilton’s time as leader was up.
“The people of Gloucester have lost faith and confidence in you,” he said.
Conservative group leader Stephanie Chambers (Quedgeley Fieldcourt) said the motion was “not about political games” as claimed by those wishing to protect the Lib Dem leader.
“It’s about whether the people of Gloucester can still have confidence in Cllr Hilton’s leadership,” she said.
“We, the Conservatives, sadly but strongly believe they cannot.”
She said her group had not taken the decision lightly and that opposition parties had tried for over two years to work with Cllr Hilton but trust had “broken down”.
And legitimate questions often resulted in attacks on those asking them, she said.
“Members, residents and community groups have been ridiculed online,” she claimed. “That is not leadership.”
The 21 votes from the Conservatives, Labour and Community Independents outnumbered the combined total of 18 from the Lib Dems and Independent Conservative Lorraine Campbell (Tuffley).
However, the opposition’s expectation that another Lib Dem would take the helm did not materialise as they stood by their group leader and the cabinet resigned en masse.
The Lib Dems attempted to re-elect Cllr Hilton as council leader immediately after he lost the vote of no confidence. This was described as “absolutely absurd” by Conservative Sajid Patel (Barton and Tredworth) and the proposal was defeated by 21 to 18 votes.
Cllr Liam Harries (LD, Quedgeley Severn Vale) said the situation was “crazy” and explained the Lib Dems all had confidence in Cllr Hilton as leader.
“All of the opposition here, you are well within your rights to vote against him,” he said. “But just think about what’s happened.
“You voted against the leader of the council without a plan. How can we trust you to run the council, if you don’t want him as leader you need to propose someone to lead instead.”
However, the Conservatives, Labour and the Community Independents did not nominate anyone to replace Cllr Hilton and the authority is now a leaderless council.
It is understood the council’s managing director will meet with group leaders to discuss a way forward today (September 25).
Unless an extraordinary meeting is called to elect a new leader, the authority could remain leaderless until the next full meeting in November.