BCP Council leader Cllr Drew Mellor suddenly resigns

THE Conservative leader of BCP Council, Cllr Drew Mellor, suddenly quit last night (Monday), blaming the government and council officers for blocking efforts to new ways of raising money.

His resignation comes just days away from the authority preparing to vote on 21st February for council tax levels for 2023/24.

The news of his departure was released by BCP Council shortly before 8.45pm last night. He first took the role in October 2020.

Cllr Mellor's administration has been under fire for its handling of the council's finances ever since July last year when the government blocked it from setting up a commercial company to buy the authority's 3,600 beach huts to raise £54m.

It is now facing an assurance review of its governance arrangements by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

There are only months left until the local elections on 4th May, with the Tory group defending its minority rule.

In his resignation statement, Cllr Mellor said his efforts had been stymied to find "new, sustainable income sources as opposed to the easy solution of selling off the family silver".

He said: "But it has become clear that this has been at odds with civil servant and treasury orthodoxy who appear determined that the future of local government is one of maximum council tax and cuts to services.

"This approach is not something I am prepared to deliver. I simply don't believe the council taxpayer should always be the hardest hit. And we've proven that successive budgets can be balanced whilst freezing council tax.

"However, now successive local government ministers, our senior officers and our auditor are determined to hit the tax payer."

He said the "final straw" was a letter from the council's independent auditor apparently warning that any attempt to not seek a full council tax rise would be vetoed "without even seeing the detail".

Cllr Mellor said: "The system is determined to stop any efforts to lessen the burden to council tax payers, and that’s not a situation I can continue to preside over."

There are only months left until the local elections on 4th May, with the Tory group defending its minority rule.

Chief executive Graham Farrant, the council's most senior officer, said: “I’d like to thank Cllr Mellor for his service as leader of the council for the last two-and-a-half years.

“The chairman has agreed to call an extraordinary meeting to elect a new council leader.

"In the meantime the council will continue to function and deliver essential public services for our residents and communities.”

Deputy leader Cllr Phil Broadhead will assume interim leadership of the council until an extraordinary council meeting at 7pm on 21st February to choose a new leader.

Once this is complete, the scheduled full council meeting will take place to consider the budget for 2023/24 and council tax levels, currently planned to rise 4.99% for a band D household.

Cllr Mellor's resignation statement in full:

"I’m immensely proud of the achievements of the council and the administration I have had the honour to lead since October 2020.

"Most importantly, the huge improvements in our children's services - built off the back of a near doubling of that budget to support the most vulnerable in our community.

"But by almost any other measure, the material financial boosts we’ve given to almost every council service – from our street cleaning investments, our adults services, or the step change in our seafront and tourist services – have meant the improvements we’ve made are impossible to ignore.

"We’ve had record investment in cleaner, greener and safer communities, delivering a more than 20% reduction in anti-social behaviour in the last year alone, all whilst setting one of the lowest council tax strategies in the country that will have kept over £62m in residents' pockets by the end of the next term.

"With a largely balanced budget over the next four years this council has never been in a more financially stable position.

"My strategy has been simple: a low council tax, high ambition approach to local government. Unleashing the potential of this fantastic region, but not always resorting to tax hikes to pay for the increasing costs of services.

"That’s why I’ve continually pushed for finding new, sustainable income sources as opposed to the easy solution of selling off the family silver and putting the financial burden onto our residents.

"But it has become clear that this has been at odds with civil servant and treasury orthodoxy who appear determined that the future of local government is one of maximum council tax and cuts to services.

"This approach is not something I am prepared to deliver. I simply don't believe the council taxpayer should always be the hardest hit. And we've proven that successive budgets can be balanced whilst freezing council tax.

"However, now successive local government ministers, our senior officers and our auditor are determined to hit the tax payer.

"The most recent letter from our auditor was the final straw – making clear that despite our long-term financial stability now assured, any attempt to not seek a full council tax rise by generating legal, government sanctioned income streams would be vetoed without even seeing the detail.

"The system is determined to stop any efforts to lessen the burden to council tax payers, and that’s not a situation I can continue to preside over.

"We have a Conservative team locally who are committed to delivering exceptional services and low taxes. They clearly need to be supported at the May elections when there will be an exceptionally clear choice.

"Every other major political party locally has signalled that they are against anything other than a full council tax hike and against new income streams.

"That is the choice voters will face in May – those who fight for their residents, and those who give up and take the easy choices.

"Because of all of this, and having already taken the decision not to stand again in May, I feel it is right that those who are standing should lead the next few months into those elections.

"Therefore with a heavy heart but proud record of investing in our incredible region, I am today resigning as leader of BCP Council with immediate effect."