The leader of Knowsley Council has been urged to step down by the borough’s main opposition after key defeats at this month’s local elections.
After the Green Party group took seats in Roby and St Gabriels in Huyton from Labour, the Green party has said Cllr Graham Morgan should now step aside. The Green’s victories in those wards increased their membership to seven overall on Knowsley Council.
The borough had once been entirely dominated by Labour councillors, but have lost a number of seats in recent years to the Greens, independents and the Liberal Democrats.
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Labour retained control of the council in May with 31 out of 45 seats, gaining one seat from independent John Morgan in Whitefield ward, who had previously defected from Labour.
As well as gaining two seats, the Greens also held onto to Whiston ward, which had been a key target for Labour.
Calling for Cllr Morgan to step aside ahead of the annual meeting of the borough’s full council on Friday, the Knowsley Green Party said in a statement the results demonstrated “just how unpopular this current style of leadership is.”
A spokesperson said: “Following another poor performance for Labour in this year’s local elections, Knowsley Green Party has called on the Labour group to appoint a new leader who can work constructively with the opposition in the interests of the borough.
“Cllr Graham Morgan has led Knowsley Council since 2018 and has consistently overseen Labour’s decline within the borough, losing two deputy leaders and a growing number of councillors.”
Cllr Kai Taylor, who was recently re-elected as leader of the Knowsley Greens and leader of the opposition, said: “Under the current administration, trust in Labour is at an all-time low, the results in Roby and St Gabriel’s wards show just how unpopular this current style of leadership is.”
He added: “While this is clearly a huge asset to The Green Party, we believe it is in the best interest of the borough for the Labour group to nominate a new leader who is willing to work constructively with all councillors in securing the best outcomes for our residents”.
Roby’s new councillor Paul Woodruff, the first Green councillor in the ward, said: “Time and time again the Green Group has asked for greater scrutiny at council meetings, but this has been rejected by Cllr Morgan and the local Labour leadership.”
Referencing the Labour group’s loss of St Gabriel’s following the controversial de-selection of Cllr Crispin Evans, amid claims he had lost the right to contest his seat for “asking too many questions,” Cllr Woodruff added: “They are more concerned about self publicity than accountability something highlighted by Labour members themselves such as former Cllr Crispin Evans.”
Cllr Morgan was approached by the LDRS about the remarks made by the Greens but declined to comment.
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