Tameside Council Leader tops week of chaos with resignation
Internal and external pressure had been mounting on the Labour-led council after a report revealed the “inadequate” performance of the children’s services department.
Tameside Leader Cllr Gerald Cooney sent an email to fellow councillors on Friday morning that detailed the reasons for his resignation. His deputy leader Bill Fairfoull also resigned.
In the email, seen by Tameside Correspondent, Cooney said that in order to turn the council’s children’s services around, the full support of all council members would be required.
He wrote: “Clearly due to the events of the last few weeks following the issuing of the report, it is clear that I do not have that support.”
“Therefore, in order for children’s services to achieve excellence it has to be done with a new Leader that has the full support of all Tameside members.”
The report on children’s services was published in September and called for better leadership stating the council’s “reluctance to accept responsibility collectively and corporately for the long-term service failure”.
It added: “Children’s services failure does not happen in a vacuum: high-performing councils deliver strong children’s services.”
The lack of improvement and claims of bullying and toxicity prompted the national Labour Party to send a campaign improvement board into the council, the domain of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.
The campaign improvement board will now be charged with picking a new council leader following Cooney’s resignation, rather than delegating the responsibility to councillors as per usual.
The chaos began when chief executive Sandra Stewart resigned from Tameside Council on 9 October over the children’s services review – a move that three Tameside MPs, including Rayner and secretary of state for business and trade Jonathan Reynolds, publically welcomed.
On Thursday, a further four senior council members handed in their resignations, citing Cllr Cooney’s “lack of responsibility” and “lack of empathy”, according to the Tameside Correspondent.
Cllr Claire Reid resigned as chair of place security, while councillors George Newton, Jack Naylor, and Hugh Roderick resigned from their cabinet and assistant cabinet roles.
Tameside Council is looking to bring in a senior figure from Oldham Council to steady the ship on an interim basis, according to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
A spokesperson for GMCA said: “The Greater Manchester Combined Authority had developed a proposal with all ten Greater Manchester local authorities to provide mutual aid support to any Geater Manchester council that may request and require additional assistance.
“Oldham and Tameside councils are in discussions about a senior secondment, as part of a package of support from Greater Manchester’s councils,” they continued. “Oldham is well-placed to provide this help given the rapid improvements they have made to their own children’s services.”
Cllr Cooney also has a post with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority where he oversees the Greater Manchester Pension Fund investments and Bee Network Pensions.
The Labour Party and Tameside Council have been contacted for comment.
Absolutley abysmal. Gone from failing childrens services to an executive pension fund job. Tameside council all over!!! S Stewart lets hope the pension fund doesn’t go the same way!
Government should have taken childrens services from the council. It’s been failing the most vulnerable in society for years
By Janet