Luton Council Leader Cllr Tahmina Saleem has vowed to challenge a vote of no confidence after opposition councillors united to try to remove her from the council leadership.
The Liberal Democrats, Independent Alliance and Conservatives backed the move at a “somewhat rowdy” full council meeting last night, according to the Liberal Democrats, in a vote which Labour described as a “coalition of chaos”.
The vote followed the defection of an eighth councillor elected for Labour to the Independent Alliance in recent months.
Labour said the councillors who had left the party had done so, “without any mandate from their electorate” and accused them of putting “personal ambition before Luton”.
Responding to the vote, Cllr Saleem said: “This is not what residents voted for. Luton deserves better. Luton elected a Labour council; not chaos and individual egos. Instead of playing self-serving games these councillors should resign their seats and let their residents decide who represents them.”
She also criticised the involvement of the Conservatives and Reform, saying: “The general public will not look kindly to anyone who cosies up to the Conservatives who took over £160million from Luton, during a decade of austerity, and Reform when their senior politicians lie about our town and our people.”
Labour said it would continue to focus on its record in office, pointing to plans and developments including expansion at London Luton Airport, Luton Town Football Club’s new Power Court stadium and the Stage development.
Cllr Saleem added: “I fully intend to challenge this vote of no confidence. Whatever games others choose to play, my focus remains exactly where it has always been: delivering for Luton and standing up for our residents.”
The Liberal Democrats said the vote was effectively a vote of no confidence in the Labour leadership, claiming the Labour group had been “consistently out voted by opposition councillors” at recent meetings.
In a statement, the party said: “The Labour leadership lost a vote to propose the removal of the leader of the council.”
It added: “This vote was a de facto vote of no confidence in the current leadership of the councils Labour Party.”
The Liberal Democrats also attacked Labour’s argument that councillors who had left the party no longer had a mandate from voters.
They said: “Labour have posted a response stating that the now independent councillors no longer have a mandate from their electorate. These are the same allegations Parliamentary Labour put to the Conservatives when they changed leader and asked for a general election.”
The party added: “Given that we now have a Labour Prime Minister who was not leader or member of parliament at the time of the last general election the hypocrisy speaks for itself.”
The Liberal Democrats said the latest developments could bring an end to Labour’s control of Luton Council.
“The final vote on the council leadership will be on the 14th September which could see the end of Labour’s control of Luton Council,” the party said.
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