By Internal Local Labour in-fighting has lead to an internal motion accusing comrades of bullying!
A Labour activist recently sent through this damning report on the state of the Local Labour Party following the loss of control of NELC to the Conservatives. The activist wished to remain anonymous due to the strong feelings surrounding this motion but summarises their personal views below.
This is a leaked motion that was passed by a wide margin at a Cleethorpes Labour Party meeting on the 19th July
It appears that the local party are taking aim at new Labour group leader on NELC, Matthew Patrick, as he is blamed by members for the loss of seats in May’s local poll and the severe unpopularity of the outgoing Labour-minority administration.
The motion shows that the divisions among the members of the local Labour parties in Grimsby and Cleethorpes are very much still present and unlikely to go away before the 2020 local elections which could see Labour lose a few more seats.
The motion has no real power to remove Matthew Patrick as group leader – however, it makes the Labour councillors on NELC aware of the fact that party members from the Cleethorpes constituency are not happy with his leadership, as they see him as the man that was responsible for the bins/recycling collection fiascos and the Tollbar Roundabout saga, as well as diverting attention to his own seat which he won, instead of focusing on wards like Immingham and Yarborough where long-serving Labour councillors lost out badly to the Conservatives.
Cllr Ros James said;
Members of the Labour party have the right to express a personal view, so long as it is done in a comradely manner. One mechanism for that is to propose a motion at their local Labour Party branch. A Cleethorpes member did this last Friday and his motion was debated and voted upon according to Labour party rules. As Chair of Cleethorpes Labour Party Joint Branch, I took no part in the debate, nor did I vote on the matter.
A copy of the motion in full:
This branch notes with disappointment and concern the closure of the recent LCF AGM due to the inability to elect a new chair. We note that a key role in the resignation of the exiting chair and secretary was the prevalence of bullying and uncomradely behaviour directed at them from certain members of Grimsby CLP. We note with equal disappointment at a recent meeting of the ESIWG committee that the LCF secretary, chair and Cleethorpes CLP representative removed themselves from the meeting citing similar uncomradely behaviour. Another member of the committee resigned. This branch believe that only a united party can win back the general public and the NELC with a revitalised programme focused on local issues important to the electorate and their leadership unconnected with our 2018/19 failures. We note that the current labour leadership is at the heart of the disunity both before, during and post the 2019 elections and we therefore express our lack of confidence in them to deliver for the electorate of NELC such a programme and unite the party and end the bullying arrogant culture prevalent. This branch therefore calls on the leader and deputy leader to stand down to make way for a new unifying partnership to lead the local party in returning to power within NELC and continuing our historical role of protecting the most vulnerable.
Cllr Jackson now Leader of the Council commented;
I’m not surprised there is disquiet in Labour ranks and a move towards no confidence in the current Labour Group leadership. They are clearly out of touch with ordinary people in North East Lincolnshire and have learned not from their humiliating election defeat on 2nd May. This was clear when they spent most of their time at the last Full Council meeting discussing the 1984 miners’ strike rather than things that matter to NEL.
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