Dudley Council leader wins vote to oust him amid claims Tory group has 'problem with women'

It comes after a row involving the council leader and fellow Tory councillor Natalie Neale, who in a leaked email said she felt uncomfortable in his presence and threatened to resign from the council's cabinet unless he stepped down.

However, Mayor Goddard warned the council that Councillor Harley is now taking private legal action against Councillor Neale and asked members to bear this in mind when contributing to the discussion of the motion.

Councillor Neale has since quit her role as head of adult social care, while Councillor Harley has revealed the pair were previously in a four-year relationship.

At the meeting, Labour councillor Hilary Bills claimed that she was watching "women being marginalised and attacked" and said that seven female Conservative councillors in Dudley had left since 2012 as she accused the party of being "unable to manage women".

The motion to oust Harley was put forward by the leader of Dudley's Labour group, Councillor Qadar Zada, who emphasised that his motion was not a bid "to snatch Labour victory".

He said: "There are no political games intended. This is a very serious matter. We need to focus on the residents and the aspirations of those that we serve, and in doing so, respect and support our women politicians.

"Under this leader, this authority is embroiled in continuous scandal after scandal, broken promises and scandal, and we've had enough. The council has become a laughing stock.

"Broken promises, made-up regeneration, with no prospect of delivery. The list is endless.

"We have a borough in decline, record increase in council tax, high streets shrinking, concerns by Ofsted about children's services, threats to our libraries, hundreds of thousands wasted on a jolly to France, record levels of anti-social behaviour, and residents in despair.

"Not a single penny in levelling up bids secured and total inadequate support for people struggling with mortgages, gas and electricity bills, food prices, and food crises."

Councillor Zada went on to say: "We used to have a constructive cross-party working relationship based on trust and this benefited our borough.

"Madam Mayor, this is impossible. Neither we nor his own group trust this leader. Several of his cabinet have left. Almost half of them penned a letter for him to go.

"Neighbouring authorities ditched him, Walsall Conservatives said they couldn't trust him, [there is] no constructive working relationship with the police, [he] can't negotiate on the Black Country Plan, can't even engage his own colleagues of his own group.

"And if that isn't enough, officers leaving in droves with record levels of turnover. This leader, Madam Mayor, could start a fight in an empty room."

He also read aloud messages he claimed had been sent to him that day by Tory councillors in Dudley, which allegedly wished him luck with the motion.

One of alleged messages read: "Can I wish you all the best on tonight's outcome? It's a sad day for us all in the Tory party who have worked so hard only to see it ruined by one man's ego and failure to value people and deal with difficult issues."

Another alleged message simply said: "Good luck, fingers crossed."

The Dudley Labour leader added: "So many people can't be wrong Madam Mayor, and this suggests the leader has a problem with women. A leader with the wrong priorities, pre-occupied with his own selfish needs rather than the plights of residents.

"This is the start of our fight and we will fight for local people.

"Women marginalised, officers escaping, cabinet folding, no cooperation, ditched by everybody, and Councillor Harley, this is your time to do the right thing, it's time for you to go, let us get on with the job of rebuilding Dudley.

"I'd urge everyone to support [the motion] in the interests of Dudley."

While declaring his vote in favour of the motion, Councillor Zada addressed Mayor Goddard after she voted against the motion and said: "More backbone in a jellyfish, Madame Mayor."

The motion was seconded by Labour councillor, Hilary Bills, who said: "I want to look at this as what it's like to be a woman councillor in Dudley. I didn't think when I came to this chamber that I would ever have to make the speech I'm making now.

"Here I am, in Dudley Council, having to witness women being marginalised and attacked.

"When I was here not so long ago at the end of April I made a speech about the three female members who were leaving, but of course I'd forgotten when I joined this council in 2012, within two years, two women Conservative Councillors had left and joined us.

"So when we asked why have you come to us, they said: 'We can't believe your group meetings, you discuss things. [You're] not being bullied as to what [you] should do.'

"Seven women councillors in the Conservative group have gone. Seven since 2012. It's something wrong with this Conservative group that somehow you cannot manage women.

"This is an example of a group who are fighting amongst themselves, they are not treating women in the correct manner, and this impinges everything we do in council.

"We talk more about the fighting and falling out on your side than anything about what the people of Dudley need."

She also said that Harley needed to "take the rap" as leader of the council, and "can't say he didn't know about" instances of misogyny within the council.

Tory councillor Shaun Keasey also supported the motion, and made it clear that he wanted to "disassociate" himself from comments made in the Express & Star by Councillor Harley on July 5, where he described the Labour opposition as "lowlife" for supporting the motion.

Keasey said this was "a shameful comment in the current political climate".

Furthermore, Councillor Keasey read out alleged messages to himself from Harley, which reportedly expressed glee at councillors Tina Westwood and Anne Millward after they were deselected.

In these alleged messages, he said they included phrases such as "horrible person", "she will get hers at some point", and expletives.

Addressing the allegation made by Councillor Neale which has now prompted the legal action, Councillor Keasey said: "I've seen no rebuttal or contrition to this apart from words along the lines of 'she shouldn't have been in the cabinet then'."

Last week, Councillor Harley told the Express & Star that the motion was "nothing but a political stunt".

He added: "They have not even discussed it with me and I think that's bad form, particularly when there is legal action going on. I would not do this to another councillor, I'd wait to see whether there's any merit in it.

"It is an absolute nonsense and just shows what lowlife they are."