Hull budget rebel: 'No-confidence vote by Labour councillors was punishment'
A LABOUR city councillor who voted against his own group's budget has been removed from chairing a council committee.
Councillor Gary Wareing was one of three Labour rebels to vote against his group's budget at a full meeting of the authority last month.
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REBEL: Labour Councillor Gary Wareing has lost his place on the Riverside area committee. Picture: Rob Stebbing
Now he has lost the chairmanship of the Riverside area committee after Labour councillors moved a no-confidence vote against him.
As well as losing the post, it also means he will lose a £4,700 special responsibility allowance which goes with the position.
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Cllr Wareing said: "After what happened at the budget meeting, I was expecting something like this, so I wasn't too surprised.
"However, I am disappointed the Labour councillors on the committee had a pre-meeting to discuss the no-confidence vote without including me in that meeting.
"I am still in the Labour group and have not been disciplined for the way I voted at the budget meeting.
"In that context, I am unhappy I was excluded from the pre-meeting.
"Since I was re-elected to the council and became chairman of Riverside, I have not missed a meeting and I think I had done a decent job.
"This vote of no-confidence was not about my performance, it was all about punishment."
Cllr Wareing and his fellow rebels Gill Kennett and Dean Kirk have all been interviewed by group officials following the budget vote.
However, none have faced any sanctions until now.
Cllr Wareing said: "The argument I put forward in the interview was that I was entitled to express a view, which I knew was shared by a large number of staff, a large number of Labour Party members and a large section of the people who were in the public gallery.
"I believe the party is big enough to allow a range of views.
"The group seemed to be more upset that I had gone against the whip by speaking out and voting in the way I did than the fact that we were passing a budget that was making 600 people redundant.
"I believe they were looking at things from completely the wrong perspective."
This week's no-confidence vote against Cllr Wareing was moved by former Labour leader Councillor Colin Inglis.
No reason was given before the vote, which was backed by every Labour councillor on the committee except Cllr Wareing and Councillor Alan Clark, who abstained.
Cllr Clark is also Labour's chief whip at the Guildhall.
Opposition Lib Dem leader Councillor Abi Bell said: "While the 'do nothing and hope it all goes away' option that Cllr Wareing is calling for is clearly not a sensible way forward, he has hit the nail on the head in one sense.
"Labour councillors were elected on a 'no cuts, no job losses' platform. Now they're in charge and they're doing exactly what they promised not to do.
"What is most surprising is that more Labour councillors aren't following his lead.
"It's amazing how easily they've U-turned on pretty much every promise they made two years ago."
5 Comments
by RamonaFlowers
Saturday, March 16 2013, 3:23PM
“Mr Inglis, the day you tell the truth about anything I will be looking out of the window to check for flying Pigs.”
by ColinInglis
Saturday, March 16 2013, 12:46PM
“As Deputy Chair of the Riverside Area Committee I act as Labour Whip on it and I can state quite categorically that there was no "pre-meeting" of Labour Members "without including" him, nor was there a Whip on the no-confidence vote. Members were free to vote as they wished. Cllr. Wareing has either been misinformed or he is imagining things.
A Committee Chair must command the confidence of a majority of their fellow Members and on the basis of the result of the vote Cllr. Wareing had clearly lost that.”
by jeff_Norris
Saturday, March 16 2013, 11:54AM
“Opposition Lib Dem leader Councillor Abi Bell said: "While the 'do nothing and hope it all goes away' option that Cllr Wareing is calling for is clearly not a sensible way forward, he has hit the nail on the head in one sense.
WHAT A LEADER, she says "DO NOTHING IS NOT A SENSIBLE OPTION" but goes on to say "HE HAS HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD" Looney Lib-Dems who's, Government is making these cuts yet she tries to hand off the blame WHAT A LOONEY!
Opportunists or Hypocrites or maybe both you decide.”
by Guildhalldog
Saturday, March 16 2013, 9:39AM
“So Cllr Bell is wittering about Labour and the platform they was elected on interesting that she fails to mention that her Lib Dem MPs has voted to cut and slash money from Hull. Maybe her ward colleague would like to have a quote as Cllr Thomas thinks she is good enough to slash and cut money from children and the poor in this city by being an MP. Cllr Wareing was very silly to do what he did and should feel lucky that it's only his committee chair that has been removed. If he feels so strong about what he has done and thinks he has so much support then he should resign as a councillor and stand as an independent. David Davis MP resigned and stood again on what he believed was the right thing to do so should Cllr Wareing!”
by VicMay
Saturday, March 16 2013, 8:29AM
“Cllr Bell is a total hypocrite. It's her MPs that are reducing Hulls funding year in year out to the point where the council is struggling to function. Her MPs. How on earth can she then say, "Oh look, there are cuts?" Is she also proud that not one of her MPs supported the mansion tax this week? a LIB DEM policy. We'll see how popular her MPs policies are today, up and down the country, with the bedroom tax protests.”