Lancaster City Council leader dramatically quits as Labour-Green alliance collapses

The leader of Lancaster City Council has dramatically resigned after accusing the Greens of forcing him out.

Councillor Phillip Black, of Labour, quit during an emotional speech at Morecambe Town Hall on Wednesday night.

He said the Greens had given him an ultimatum to resign or face a vote of no confidence, after he returned recently from absence due to ill health.

Councillor Black said the ultimatum came because the Greens are now the largest group on the council.

They have 23 seats to Labour's 21, following a recent Green by-election win in Scotforth East and two departures from the Labour group on the council. 

The Green group leader Caroline Jackson said the resignation had been "abrupt" and that "perfectly civil negotiations" had been going on between themselves and Labour.

Speaking to fellow councillors at the Lancaster City Council meeting on November 13, Councillor Black said: ‘’I expect all of you are aware that I had a few weeks of unexpected absence from the council on health grounds.

"I have come back to demands from the Green party that I resign as leader of the council following last month's by election in Scotforth East.

"This was not exactly the welcome back I had hoped for, to say the least.

"As you know, the council constitution provides for an election or re-election of the leader halfway through our term together. This is happening in May next year.

"By design, the cross-party working agreement between the three groups in the administration also marks out May as a point of renegotiation and renewal.

"However, the Labour Group has been presented with an ultimatum.

"If I do not resign the leadership voluntarily then the Green group will bring forward a motion of no confidence and remove me from office prematurely.

"This threat was made in meetings between representatives of our groups on October 11 and October 28.

"I myself beseeched Green representatives to honour our agreement, to focus on running the council and delivering the budget, to look to renegotiating our mutual positions on council as we approach May.

"This was flatly rejected, threats of no confidence were repeated, and I was even told quote pointedly that we aren't lawyers, and the Green group can't be expected to be held to written agreements or contracts.

"Personally, I'm not sure how we can navigate the choppy waters of cross-party cooperation without the trust that we can counted on to be good to our word.

"I do not deny that the Greens are now the largest party on the council. The Labour Group absolutely respects the will of our residents.

"It is enormously disappointing that the Greens have chosen to withdraw from our cross-party agreements.

"This council voted me into office on the basis of an agreement which no longer exists and there is only one conclusion I can arrive at, my time as leader is at an end.

‘’I can lay my hand on my heart and tell you that I always gave my best, that I tried with all sincerity to shepherd our cross-party alliance through the most challenging local government landscape our district has ever had to face.

‘’The Labour group will now assume the role of a supportive and constructive opposition group.  We will be a friend to any administration which continues to honour the policies, strategies and initiatives which have been set in motion over the last 18 months under Labour leadership.’’

Councillor Black had been expected to remain as leader until May, under a cross-party agreement after the 2023 local elections when Labour, then the largest group, the Greens and Liberal Democrats formed an alliance to run the council cabinet.

There was shock among councillors from other political groups as Councillor Black announced he was stepping down with immediate effect.

He also said Labour colleagues Joanne Ainscough, Catherine Potter, Jason Wood and Jean Parr were resigning from the cabinet "as a protest at the conduct of our former partners".

Prior to his resignation, he also removed Green councillors, including deputy leader Caroline Jackson, Nick Wilkinson, Paul Stubbins and Tim Hamilton-Cox from their cabinet roles.

This left Lib Dem councillor Peter Jackson as the only remaining member until a new cabinet is formed.

Councillor Andrew Gardiner, Conservative leader on the council, asked for a 15 minute break so councillors could digest the shock news, and the meeting was adjourned.

"I am disappointed," said Councillor Gardiner, pictured below.

"You had an agreement to be a strong and unified council for the good of the people. You had a two-year deal."

When the meeting was resumed, it was announced that a new leader would be elected at the next council meeting.

Lancaster City Council usually elects a leader for a two year period. 

Councillor Caroline Jackson, Green leader, said after the meeting: "We are sad that Councillor Black and the Labour group have chosen this abrupt way of ending the current administration. By doing so during a meeting, it has left us in a position where we have no constitutional leadership.

"Councillor Black should have given advance notice so that a new leader could have been elected at the meeting.

"The effect of this action in the middle of the budget process is to halt essential work and ultimately delay decision-making.

"We are disturbed that Councillor Black has interpreted perfectly civil negotiations between the Labour and Green leaders and deputy leaders as ‘threatening.’

"We understand that the Labour group are disappointed to have lost three seats and become the smaller political group.

"In May 2023 Councillor Black insisted that he should be leader because Labour had more members than Greens. We are surprised therefore that he has been unable to negotiate with us to create a smooth transition at this point.

"We know that our residents expect a councillor from the largest group on the council to be leading the council.

"I would like to commend all members of the Liberal Democrat, Green and Labour cross-party administration just terminated. It has been hard working, co-operative, highly supportive and successful."

Councillor Brett Cooper, a Morecambe Bay Independent (pictured below), speaking after the meeting, said: "It's a shame that the two-year agreement that was entered into has not lasted the two years.

"It creates uncertainty and the quicker we can resolve that the better.

"My personal view is that the Greens and Labour are the two biggest groups on the council and they need to find a way to work it out."

Councillor Peter Jackson, Liberal Democrat cabinet member, said: "The Liberal Democrat group had no advance knowledge of the announcements made by the former leader of council, Councillor Phillip Black, at the meeting on Nov 13th.

"As Lib Dem leader I have argued for a negotiated transfer of the leadership to the Green group, who are now the largest group on council.

"Instead the Labour group has chosen to create a situation where we will have a brief hiatus in the administration until a new leader can be elected.

"This comes at an inconvenient time, and important meetings to set our budget for 2025/26 will have to be postponed until a new administration is in place.

"The Liberal Democrats remain committed to cooperation and will be willing to participate in a new administration whatever form that takes."

A Labour spokesperson, in a statement released to Beyond Radio, pointed out that the leader of the council has not always been from the largest political group, and that from 2021-23 Councillor Caroline Jackson was leader at a time when Labour had most seats.

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