Senior councillors have traded blows over the future of Bedford Borough Council’s leadership after Conservative cabinet member Robert Rigby resigned, citing concerns over Mayor Tom Wootton’s leadership.
Cllr Rigby, the Bromham ward councillor and former portfolio holder for valuing families: adult services, announced his resignation from the cabinet with immediate effect earlier this week after what he described as a meeting with the mayor that left him unable to continue serving in the administration.
In response, Mayor Wootton (Conservative) thanked Councillor Rigby for his work in one of the council’s most challenging roles.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I thank Robert for his hard work and service in a tough job. We will miss him, and now I’m reviewing the cabinet positions.”
Political reaction
The resignation has triggered immediate reaction from opposition parties, many of whom have already publicly called for the mayor to step down.
Green Group convenor Councillor Ben Foley said: “The bigger surprise for me is that none of the mayor’s cabinet had got as sick of the mess earlier.”
Read: The mayor is asking the electorate to judge him on his record – he might as well just resign
Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Henry Vann said the resignation reflected wider instability within the administration.
“The Mayor’s ship is sinking,” he said.
“Councillor Rigby was only reappointed as Adult Services Portfolio Holder last week and he’s already decided to leave the sinking ship.
“However, Councillor Rigby has played his full part in this chaos, presiding over a Requires Improvement judgement on Adult Services and the effective bankruptcy of the council.
“The public will not be fooled by him pretending to be an opponent of the Mayor’s disastrous administration now and is clearly just worried about losing his seat of Bromham to the Liberal Democrats.”
Councillor Rigby is widely regarded as one of the more experienced and respected senior members of the Conservative group, making his departure particularly significant politically.
Social media reaction
The resignation also prompted strong reactions online, with some residents interpreting the move as a sign of growing division within the administration, while others rallied behind the mayor.
Read: Respected senior councillor quits Mayor Wootton’s cabinet with immediate effect
One commenter wrote: “Respected indeed and long serving in the community. Clearly Tom ‘Starmer’ Wootton isn’t listening to his cabinet either. Roll on the next ejection oops election.”
Another said: “The ship’s taking on water; just the first one to the lifeboat.”
However, others defended the mayor’s leadership.
One supporter wrote: “I’m praying for our Mayor Tom. Whatever this is, may it be a storm in a teacup, because under Tom’s leadership, Bedford is a better place! He has really only just begun!”
Pressure continues
The resignation comes amid continuing political pressure on the mayor’s administration ahead of next year’s local elections.
All opposition parties on Bedford Borough Council previously united in publicly calling for Mayor Wootton to resign, accusing the administration of instability and poor leadership.
The mayor has consistently rejected those calls and has previously said he intends to seek re-election in 2027, arguing residents should judge him on his record in office.
