Labour regain control of Wolverhampton City Council
Thursday 16th December 2010, 11:30AM GMT.
Labour was today back in charge of Wolverhampton City Council after seizing power from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
A vote of no confidence, unprecedented in the history of the council, returned Labour leader Roger Lawrence to power after 32 months in opposition.
Labour won by two votes after Lib Dem councillor Claire Darke sided with them last night. It must now steer through £70 million of cuts.
Tory leader Neville Patten accused Labour of “cheek and arrogance” for taking power without being voted in by the public.
Councillor Lawrence said: “Jobs will be lost and services reshaped but we will seek to improve services.”
The Tory-Lib Dem coalition lost its majority in two by-elections. It became a minority administration when Lib Dem councillor Darke withdrew her support for the coalition.
That left the coalition with 29 Tories and Lib Dems to 30 Labour councillors while Councillor Darke sat as an independent Lib Dem.
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OH dear thats going to hurt. Now all we need is the same thing to happen to the government.
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To Tory leader Neville Patten..The Voters didn’t put you in either..The lib dems did!!!
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This is just one example of how fragile the coalition is. I believe there will be another general election within 12 months, watch this space!
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I agree the Lib dems are already turning away from their own party because of the University fee fiasco. Just worrying who might get in though. I personally think the damaging cuts would be far worse under a sole Tory government myself.
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I would love to see Labour have to make cuts and deal with some of the problems that they caused over the last 13 years.
Largest of which was the massive increase in indebtedness that they oversaw, while trying to claim it was some sort of new economic reality and that economic growth was a result of their own fantastic stewardship, when in fact is was all just funded by debt.
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I agree with you whole heartedly, Labour have ridden on the coat tails of an unjustified economic boom!
Although i would point out it was the Conservatives who agreed to the demutalision of building societies allowing greater access to the wholesale money markets. Which in turned out to be a catastrophe, so they’re all as bad as each other!!
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The last thing we need is labour back in control.
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Labour and spending cuts? An oxymoron if ever there was!
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Well Done Claire Darke, she has done the right thing! Labour had more seats than the tories and had a right to rule the council. Neville wake up and smell the coffee the people of Wolverhampton voted more labour councillors in than tories, how else would they be sitting in the council chamber.
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I think everyone needs to wake up now to the big picture. All the Brown haters maybe having a rethink. We see petrol still going up under this government, and rising to higher proportions than under any labour government. We see University education fees rising and Child benefits reduced for people earning less than couples on 88k a year. Come on people Labour can’t be that bad an option . Yes they will have to cut as well but it certainly won’t hurt the working people as much.
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So where will they get the money from? Please explain. I’m not a Conservative voter, I just don’t understand where they will get the money from
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Oh no!!!!!
Please not!!!
Labour will put up the Council Tax next year.
And I bet most of those that voted Labour get council tax rebates. What an appalling disgrace!!!
We need the Tories back in control of Wolverhampton Council NOW!
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stjoe – do you read a newspaper or listen to the news? ‘Labour can’t be that bad.’
What planet are you on? Your party caused this mess – just admit it, rather than trying to spend your way out of trouble as always.
So glad I don’t have to work or go near Wolverhampton any more. What a ruin of a city. And, who runs it? What a surprise!
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If its all labours fault answer me one question. Why is every country in the world in our situation with debts? Has Our labour governemnt secretly run the worlds economy? has our country been bailed out like Ireland or Greece? Answer..No it was us who bailed Ireland out. Not bad eh ? For a Labour bankrupted country. Or Have the Torydems found loads of extra money they didn’t know about. I read the paper and watch the news and I know exactly who caused the worlds financial mess. Start with everyone who borrowed money up to their necks because they had to have every thing they all wanted. 850 billion that I hope is going to be paid back under this ToryDem government (Yes and pigs might fly eh?) That will leave the rest that labour caused by their over spending by trying to create jobs for people.Think it might be far less than 850 billion.
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stjoe – your statement is incorrect.
Many countries in the Far East, Middle East, S. America (but also Canada and some N. European states) consistently had budget surpluses instead of running up massive debts.
A simplified explanation is that, developed nations have built up debt based on house price appreciation driven by low interest rates. In the US those ultra-low rates were used by Alan Greenspan to cushion a recession. In the Eurozone countries that used to have 7-8% rates, piggybacked on Germany’s strong economy to have 2-3% rates and so boomed also.
As for bailouts. Ireland/Greece had to be bailed out because they are locked into monetary union and thus CANNOT devalue.
The UK pound devalued by around 1/3 vs major currencies which softened the blow on the economy.
That said….our house price reversion to the mean has barely begun. We are not out of the woods yet.
Unfortunately your argument is very simplistic and biased by your political affiliations. You see things as you want to see them. It’s a common problem.
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Check you’re facts you will find canada has debts over 500 billion even China has debts over 500 billion. Australia about 300 Billion and The states over 10 Trillion. Not to mention most EU countries. You are talking 70% of the world that currently has serious debt problems and not just us. Blame Labour if it pleases you its the easiest answer for the sheep to all follow each other and blame whoever was in charge at the time. I’m sure the Tory’s will take their fair share of blame in 5 years for our problems as well. The electorate have such short memory’s and thats why change of governments are imminent over the years. They loved the Labour party for 3 terms if I rememeber. Must have been the biggest con in years then eh??
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Did you say Germany’s strong economy? How about 1.80 trillion in debts then!!MMM me thinks theres some right ones on here today!
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stjoe – you have misread my statement.
Those countries have been running budget surpluses every year while the global economy was booming. i.e. they were generating wealth and saving it. Using it to pay down debt.
Labour used that wealth to fund a burgeoning public sector, some of which (not all) was unneccessary and unproductive. Look at the figures on productivity for the past decade. The private sector has been squeezed while the public sector has been lavished with cash.
The global economic downturn (see i realise it was global) merely highlighted those countries who had their houses in orders versus those who were wasteful and unproductive with their resources.
In the UK, the Labour government was the latter, hence our current (and future) problems with debt.
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How has the private sector been squeezed? You have massive bankers bonuses. You have massive increases in utility bills we have to pay for. The private sector has done rather well out of joe public and out of the public sector so-called wasted money. The public sector funds and funded many private sector industries for years. Its going to be hard for everyone now. The private sector has done more squeezing over the years than the public sector ever has. Take a look at you’re Bills!
labour also used funds to bail out the greedy banking industry that, had it have folded, would have caused me and you more problems than the current national debt ever will.
Other countries may have been a bit more careful with their money but they have still racked up massive debts just as we have. EU countries have spent just as much on public sector jobs as we have.
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Will someone perform the last rites?
This is the worst news Wolverhampton could have.
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Unfortunately PJW the people of Wolverhampton seem to want a Labour government in power – 30 Labour vs 25 Conservative.
Labour Party – 30 seats
Conservative Party – 25 seats
Liberal/Democrats – 5 seats
I can only assume that is because we look across at boroughs such as Sandwell and envy how tidy and prosperous they are and what a nice place they are to live.
The people of Wolverhampton have voted to become more like Sandwell – we will model ourselves on the success of….
Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury, Cradley Heath, Tividale and West Bromwich
Good luck Wolverhampton. You will need it.
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Don’t know whether its an intended critism of Sandwell.. But just to inform you I would rather live in Sandwell than wolverhampton. Come on what has wolverhampton to offer on its doorstep? You should model you”re self on their success because wolverhampton certainly hasn’t had any over the years has it? Sandwell wasted money on the public but it spend money on housing renovation for it’s people.Wolverhampton wasted millions of pound on an I.T company if I remember rightly. Its been far more financially viable than wolverhampton.
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It is really. I’ve seen pics of Mahboob Hussain posing next to roundabouts that have had £200k spent on making them look nice while leisure facilities (e.g. Wednesbury, Smethwick that i know) are filthy and dilapidated.
The Public was such a colossal waste of money (ITRO £100m) for such minimal benefit to the local area when West Brom High St, the Queen’s arcade and local transport are in a horrific state.
I agree – some of the sprucing up of tower blocks has been money well spent and the IT project waste (albeit one that offered longer terms savings) were poorly negotiated. That said – they were poorly negotatiated by the Labour administration who are now being voted back in!
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Surely the depopulation of Sandwell has been faster than that of Birmingham? Surely it is regarded as the most deprived area in the West Midlands?
Meanwhile Wolverhampton did not vote Labour David. The part of Wolverhampton gerrymandered into the borough did. Hence there is an underfunded City because half the people who rely on its facilities are kettled outside the borough.
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Sounds to me as though its wolverhampton thats the most deprived area in the west midlands.
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Put You’re Tory’s back in power then Perhaps you will become as successful as run down dudley Thats had years of Tory Rule!
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Will you perform them PJW? — next time you visit?.
Why don’t you just accept the will of the electorate.
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I’ll play the piano.
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People need to wake up.
The fact the spending cuts are required are because of the terrible mistakes made managing the banks. How can labour complain about spending cuts when it was there mismanagment which gave us the biggest ever peace time defecit.
Whom ever runs the council they need to wake up and smell the coffee these are difficult times and tough and prudent decisions are required.
Surley all three parties can work together for the benefit of the town rather than getting dragged down by petty squabbles.
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Lib, Lab, Con. It doesn’t matter who is in power. They all originate from the same cess pit!! The leadership of all three parties are controlled by the international banksters thats why your vote/say does not count.
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This is a dark day for Wolverhampton. The last Labour Council did nothing to improve anything. Well done those who voted Labour in the by-elections. Bilston you are responsible, look at your area to prove how good Labour are. Claire Darke you have done this city an enormous injustice and I hope you can live with that. Mr Lawrence has proved before he cannot organise a drinks party and Banks’s.
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Take a look at Dudley to see how Good the Tory’s are! NOT!!!!
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The Tory’s have run Dudley into the ground and let Merryhill walk all over it. So you are deluded if you think the Tory’s can put Wolverhampton right!
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Hardly the point is it? Councillors will only perform if they constantly face the risk they will lose an election and their opponents will take power. Wolverhampton is a rotten borough gerrymandered to ensure a permanent Labour majority. It is damaging to Labour. It is damaging to politics. It is damaging to the City.
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