Conservative councillors call for vote of no confidence in Bassetlaw District Council's leader after failed £20million Levelling Up bid

Opposition councillors have called for an extraordinary meeting of Bassetlaw District Council in an attempt to trigger a vote of no confidence in the local authority’s leader.
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Conservative councillor Gerald Bowers, who represents the Ranskill Ward, has submitted a request to the council’s chairman, coun Jack Bowker, calling for a meeting.

It states: “Bassetlaw District Council and Bassetlaw residents have lost all confidence in the leader of Bassetlaw District Council.

"We call for a vote of no confidence in councillor Simon Greaves. ”

Conservative councillors are calling for vote of no confidence in Bassetlaw District Council's leader.Conservative councillors are calling for vote of no confidence in Bassetlaw District Council's leader.
Conservative councillors are calling for vote of no confidence in Bassetlaw District Council's leader.
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The request, which is signed by fellow Conservative councillors Anthony Coultate, Denise Depledge, Mike Itrona, Lewis Stanniland and Mike Quigley, was presented at the full council meeting last week.

Coun Bowers said it comes after coun Greaves failed to answer is questions about the council’s failed £20million Levelling Up bid for Worksop town centre improvements.

Questions have been raised about the timing of the bid after the minister for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Neil O’Brien, said the department “did not receive a Levelling Up Fund application from Bassetlaw District Council by the application deadline.”

However the Labour controlled council said the bid was sent “on time and ahead” of the deadline.

The issue was raised at Bassetlaw’s full council meeting on Thursday evening when coun Greaves spoke about the bid.

Speaking to the Worksop Guardian this week, he said he provided a “comprehensive, detailed account of events.”

“At the end of that response I made it clear that in my view the public expect parties to work together to secure funding for Bassetlaw and in particular Worksop town centre,” he added.

He said his focus over the coming weeks would be on how the local authority can support the Covid booster jab roll-out and the fight against the Omicron variant.

“What we have here is an example of petty partisan politics in a time when everyone should be solely focused on tackling Covid,” he added.