BITTER infighting is going on in the controlling Labour group on Warrington Borough Council, it is alleged by political rivals the Liberal Democrats.
They claim a series of leaked emails has highlighted worsening relations between the group and the Warrington North 
Parliamentary constituency of Labour MP Helen Jones.
Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Ian Marks said: “We are at a loss to understand what is going on inside the local Labour Party.
“The three party whips and the council group chair resigned their positions only to withdraw their resignations 24 hours later.
“This is the party that is running the town. Yet a few weeks before local council elections we have the amazing situation where four senior officers resign. What is going on?”
Cllr Marks spoke out as more leaked emails gave details of what is alleged to have gone on at a private meeting of the Labour group.
Emails from Cllr Kevin Bennett (Fairfield and Howley) and Cllr Graham Friend (Poulton North) – seen by warrington-worldwide – were leaked to the Liberal Democrats.
They spoke of the meeting having a “mob mentality” and being like a “kangaroo court.”
Cllr Friend spoke of a “mob baying for blood” and Cllr Bennett spoke of a “witch hunt”. Both councillors claimed the conduct of the meeting was not in the spirit of the Labour Party.
Cllr Bennett claimed there had been attacks on Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft candidate Chris Vobe – son of MP Helen Jones – who was accused of “hiding behind his mother” when he was not present to defend himself.
“No-one was brave enough to air their remarks while Chris was in the meeting,” he said.
More importantly, Cllr Bennett added, was the fact members of the group spent the whole meeting attacking each other rather than discussing what they should have been – the impact of Chancellor George Osborne’s budget on deprived areas of Warrington.
Cllr Bennett said he realised some members would not appreciate him sending his comments out in a “global” email, because of the likelihood it would be leaked.
He went on: “I hope that we will keep this message between us. I also hope that members will give some thought to what I have said. I know some people will agree and others won’t. But either way, I am sorry that things descended to the level they did and hope that we can rise above these things in the future and start working for Warrington.”
Cllr Friend said he agreed 100 per cent with Cllr Bennett – who had given him the courage to speak out.
“I am one who has wanted to say things, but felt intimidated to do so.”
Later, Cllr Mike Hannon, deputy leader of the Labour Group, said: “There will always be people in a group who do not agree with the majority. But in this case they are a tiny minority.
“I can honestly say that in all my years in politics, I have never been in a Labour group that is so united.”
Cllr Marks said: “It is common knowledge that the council Labour group and the Warrington North Parliamentary Labour Party do not see eye to eye, but now we appear to have a new break away faction. This all comes on top of press reports from a few months ago about poor relationships between the unions and the leadership of the Labour Group.
“It is strange that a single party can be acting in such a dysfunctional way, in contrast to the excellent working relationships between two different political parties which we enjoyed when we ran the council for five years with the Conservatives.”
Pictured: Kevin Bennett (top) and Graham Friend.
Labour's bitter infighting claim
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About Author
Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
8 Comments
give credit where it is due, takes balls to stand up and be counted, clrs friend and Bennett should take a bow. about time the labour leaders did what mr bennett suggests and start working for warrington. well done, friend and bennett, be proud of yourselves.
I thought it was all very interesting until I came to the last sentence. If the Libdems and Conservatives were so wonderful, why were they voted out in the last local elections….?
Be better if these coucillors. Had the balls to resign from the party. and stop behaving like spoiled kids. Cllr Bennett was the one who critisized Councillor Hannon for the way he was handling the changes to W.B.C.employees terms and conditions.He did’nt consider the bad publicity to the party then also. Just go.
Isn’t this typical of Coun Marks – a few weeks before a local election. He knows, of course, that his party will lose lots of seats due to the National Situation and he cannot find any positives about his own Party and, therefore, attacks the Oppositions Group. Well done Councillors Bennett and Friend! It’s good to see that the Labour Group is alive and kicking and not just rubber stamping decisions made behind closed doors. Hope to see more “dicussion” in the public domain and to see that decions are made in the interests of the electorate. Well done!!
National issues I guess, the L/Ds suffered due to the student tuition fees issue and lost voters in droves.
Why all the fuss about differences of opinion within political parties? Isn’t this how consensus is arrived at? It would be a pretty poor organization if everyone toed the party line – think the Chinese Peoples’ Party shindigs and even North Korea where shows of sham mass mutual appreciation are the order of the day. Healthy reasoned debate did no one any harm, it’s when MPs and the like start head butting each other that we should start to worry. My worry is that this outpouring of individual thought has not yet filtered down through the system.
“It is strange that a single party can be acting in such a dysfunctional way, in contrast to the excellent working relationships between two different political parties which we enjoyed when we ran the council for five years with the Conservatives.” – Councillor Marks there may have been sweetness and political harmony on your watch but there were also “extraordinary and inexcusable acts of maladministration” and significant lapses of corporate governance, which collectively sullied the name of Warrington.
I agree with council tax payer this is just electioneering on behalf of of Cllr Marks, and in my opinion a very low-life form of it! Their previous campaign was conducted in a rather disgusting manner and it seems that the present one will be no better.
Cllr Marks suggests that the Labour Group are acting in a “dysfunctional way”. I would consider a healthy – even heated – debate a sure sign that democracy is in operation. Which to me is far preferable to “the excellent working relationships” in operation when Cllr Marks was leader of the council. His idea of ‘excellent working relationships’ was as council tax payer has said “decisions behind closed doors”.
A prime example of Cllr Marks style of ‘democracy’ was the Walton Hall and Gardens fiasco, when he and his executive members addressed a large gathering of Warrington people, making heartfelt speeches about how much Walton Hall and Gardens meant to them and promising not to do anything until after a full public consultation. Yet within minutes they went behind closed doors and voted unanimously to carry on as planned with the Contessa Hotel option!!! After the ‘dirty deed’ had been revealed one might have expected all hell to break loose within their party and a call for Cllr Marks and the Executive Members resignations. But what happened? Nothing! Warrington’s LibDem and Conservative Councillors just kept quiet and followed their leaders like spineless sheep! So give me any day, a political group where the members have the b***s to stand up and be counted, where healthy, even heated, debates are tolerated and decisions resolved openly and not just by leaders behind closed doors!