Dudley Council leader wins vote to oust him amid claims Tory group has 'problem with women'
Patrick Harley has survived a vote to oust him as leader of Dudley Council at an explosive meeting on Monday night.
Councillors, including Mayor Andrea Goddard, voted 38 to 27 against the motion to remove the Tory leader.
It comes after a row involving the council leader and fellow Tory councillor Natalie Neale, who in a leaked email said she felt uncomfortable in his presence and threatened to resign from the council's cabinet unless he stepped down.
However, Mayor Goddard warned the council that Councillor Harley is now taking private legal action against Councillor Neale and asked members to bear this in mind when contributing to the discussion of the motion.
Councillor Neale has since quit her role as head of adult social care, while Councillor Harley has revealed the pair were previously in a four-year relationship.
At the meeting, Labour councillor Hilary Bills claimed that she was watching "women being marginalised and attacked" and said that seven female Conservative councillors in Dudley had left since 2012 as she accused the party of being "unable to manage women".
The motion to oust Harley was put forward by the leader of Dudley's Labour group, Councillor Qadar Zada, who emphasised that his motion was not a bid "to snatch Labour victory".
He said: "There are no political games intended. This is a very serious matter. We need to focus on the residents and the aspirations of those that we serve, and in doing so, respect and support our women politicians.
"Under this leader, this authority is embroiled in continuous scandal after scandal, broken promises and scandal, and we've had enough. The council has become a laughing stock.
"Broken promises, made-up regeneration, with no prospect of delivery. The list is endless.
"We have a borough in decline, record increase in council tax, high streets shrinking, concerns by Ofsted about children's services, threats to our libraries, hundreds of thousands wasted on a jolly to France, record levels of anti-social behaviour, and residents in despair.
"Not a single penny in levelling up bids secured and total inadequate support for people struggling with mortgages, gas and electricity bills, food prices, and food crises."
