Uncertainty over potential coalitions at County Hall after leader’s resignation

The potential changes at the top of the authority follow the resignation of Reform UK’s Councillor Dan Harrison on Monday in the wake of mounting pressure from within his own party and the leaking of controversial comments.

Councillor Kevin Crook is currently acting leader of the county council, but he may not ultimately take the top role full-time as all county councillors are to meet in the future to discuss who could take over on a permanent basis. No date for that meeting has been currently set.

But with the recent tumultuous months Reform UK has had, including failing to win a number of by-elections, complaint outcomes, and the leaking of Councillor Harrison’s controversial comments, calls are being made for a potential ‘rainbow coalition’ to be formed to oust the party’s ‘unstable’ minority control.

Leader of the county council’s Labour group, Councillor Jewel Miah, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he felt that parties should ‘gather together’, ‘put their differences aside’ and ‘take Leicestershire forward’.

However, it may not be as simple as that, as party leaders have made their disagreements known more recently and in past meetings.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have been at odds following recent council meetings, with the Tories accusing the Lib Dems of ‘propping up’ Reform UK and having ‘backroom deals’.

The Lib Dems meanwhile have hit out at the leadership of the Conservative Party under Councillor Deborah Taylor and her deputy Councillor Craig Smith – as well as previous Tory administrations – claiming they were ‘arrogant’ and dismissive.

Speaking to the LDRS, Councillor Taylor said it was ‘too early’ to decide what the next moves for her party were regarding any potential alliance or coalition.

She added: “I want to see stability back in this council.

"Confidence in staff, and them wanting to work in a nice place. That’s my number one priority."

Councillor Taylor said she ‘didn’t know’ whether Reform UK could come together with the leaks and controversy that had followed in recent weeks.

She also accused Liberal Democrat councillors of ‘propping up the chaos’ following abstentions in previous meetings.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Councillor Michael Mullaney, hit back at those claims, calling them ‘rubbish’.

He told the LDRS that it wasn’t his party’s job to potentially put the Conservatives back in control.

He added: “The reality is that the Conservatives lost the election.

"They lost a majority of their seats. People were ready for a change.

“The reality is, if Reform put something forward we disagree with, we vote them down, so we saw it on the special education needs nurseries. We saw it on the Budget, where we successfully amended it.”

Councillor Mullaney said the main ‘stumbling block’ was the previous Tory administration, which he claimed was ‘arrogant’, ‘high-handed’ and ‘didn’t work with people’.

He added: “They wouldn’t take anything on board we said, and then they suffered a massive defeat.

“I don’t think we can put Deborah Taylor back in as leader of the county council.”