After Bedford’s Liberal Democrats launched a petition on Friday (13 February) calling for the resignation of Bedford’s elected mayor, Tom Wootton (Conservative), councillors have launched two further ‘parallel’ petitions.
Independent Sharnbrook councillor, Doug McMurdo, was the second to express his dissatisfaction at the mayor, launching a petition this morning (Monday), closely followed by the Green Party.
Both are identical in their wording to the Liberal Democrats’ petition, signifying joint cross-party collaboration and frustration at the council’s current Conservative executive.
Cllr Doug McMurdo (Independent, Sharnbrook), told the Bedford Independent he was, “happy to advise my full support of the petition words. I have no confidence in Mayor Tom Wootton and call on him to resign.”
Confirming their own identical petition, Cllr Ben Foley, convenor of the Green Group on Bedford Borough Council, told the Bedford Independent, “As Greens, we have our own version of the petition, with the same wording.
“It’s fair to say that the Mayor’s recent criticism of senior staff at the council has moved us from being unconvinced by him to being convinced he is a big part of the problem.”
Read: Bedford Borough mayor calls for CEO’s resignation over “systemic mismanagement” at council
Bedford’s Labour Group has also confirmed to us that they are discussing whether to launch their own petition at a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday).
“Enough is enough”
The original petition, promoted by the Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats under the headline “Enough is Enough,” urges Bedfordians to sign a call for the mayor to step down.
Read: Councillors launch joint petition calling for Bedford Borough mayor to resign
Following on from our breaking news about their petition on Friday, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson added, “The petition is open to all residents – regardless of political affiliation.
“We have worked with councillors from across political groups to agree on identical wording on parallel petitions so that they can be submitted jointly – we understand these will be launched shortly. We shared ours by email on Friday.
“We will be going door to door over the next few months to give residents the opportunity to sign this and help turn things round at the Council.”
At the time of publication, they were unable to provide any details of how many people had signed their petition so far.
“Petty”
Bedford Borough Conservative Group leader, cllr Graeme Coombes, dismissed the move as “petty political point scoring,” accusing the Liberal Democrats of failing to support efforts to address serious challenges facing the council.
“It is one of many reasons that the government have had to step in, because the opposition are failing to support us as we try to resolve the serious issues,” he told the area’s local democracy reporter.
Meanwhile, Cllr Nicola Gribble (Independent, Renhold and Ravensden), who sits on the mayor’s cabinet as the portfolio holder for the environment, told the Bedford Independent that she would not support the opposition parties’ calls for the mayor’s resignation.
“As an Independent councillor, my sole priority is serving the residents of Bedford Borough and delivering the responsibilities entrusted to me.
“I will not be participating in anything that distracts from that duty.
“My focus remains on the work I was elected to do and on representing our communities with clarity, purpose and professionalism.”
“Desperate situation”
The petitions come as Bedford Borough Council prepares for a statutory Best Value inspection ordered by the government, which will examine whether the authority is meeting its legal duty to deliver continuous improvement, economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
Read: Government inspectors to examine Bedford Borough Council as financial pressures continue
The council is also awaiting a government decision on Exceptional Financial Support (EFS), a form of assistance sought by councils facing severe financial pressures.
The Liberal Democrats argue the Borough is facing a “desperate situation” and say residents and businesses “can’t afford for it to continue a day longer than it has to.”
Read: Mayor’s leaked letter offers stark warning if budget isn’t approved
No formal power
Despite the furore surrounding the petitions and their potential to signal a feeling of ‘no confidence’ in mayor Tom Wootton, they will have no formal power to remove him from office.
Bedford operates a directly elected mayor system, meaning the mayor is chosen by voters across the Borough and cannot be forced out by councillors through a petition or a vote of no confidence.
Under the legal framework for elected mayors, if a mayor resigns mid-term, this would normally trigger a borough-wide by-election to take place no more than 35 days after the date of resignation.
Once a resignation is accepted, it cannot be withdrawn.
Under the Local Authorities (Elected Mayors) (Elections, Terms of Office and Casual Vacancies) (England) Regulations 2012, a vacancy occurring within six months of the next scheduled mayoral election is instead filled at that election.
Such contests can be costly because they must be run across the whole authority, rather than in a single ward. The costs of administering local by-elections are normally met by the local authority.
When Mayor Wootton resigned as Wyboston ward councillor after being elected mayor, council figures at the time estimated the cost of the resulting by-election for this ward at more than £12,000.
Cllr Coombes added that the mayor and cabinet continued to welcome external scrutiny.
“I know the mayor and the cabinet continue to welcome not only the scrutiny, but the support of the inspectors,” he said, “Hopefully, it will bring about a new, fresh approach from the opposition, and more grown-up politics in Bedford.”
Read: Opinion: Mr mayor, a Best Value inspection is embarrassing and the buck also stops with you
Voters will next have the opportunity to decide whether to renew or end the mayor’s mandate at the next mayoral election, due in May 2027.
Editor’s note: We are a politically neutral newspaper and, as such, have decided not to link to the petition here. We believe there is enough information in this article for those who genuinely wish to make their feelings known to find the petition themselves.
Additional reporting by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
