Tory crisis as councilor three resigns | News

It means the Tories have lost their majority on Cornwall Council

Cornwall Council’s Conservative administration is facing a political crisis today after a second councilor left the Conservative group in less than a week. Adrian Harvey’s move means the Tories have now lost their majority.

In a scathing rebuke of the party he has represented since 2017, Cllr Harvey told us: “We knew more when the Lib Dems and Independents were in power. We have no idea now what’s going on.” The councilor for St Newlyn East, Cubert and Goonhavern said his decision to resign from the Conservative group was largely due to the leadership of Cllr Linda Taylor. She defended her position.

Cllr Harvey’s decision yesterday (Thursday July 25) came after Launceston councilor John Conway resigned from the Conservative group on Monday night following a disciplinary hearing called by Cllr Taylor. Cllr Conway came out last month after calling Cllr Taylor a “dictator”. He said she removed him from attending a meeting of the Economic Growth and Development Scrutiny and Scrutiny Committee because she did not agree to former MP Steve Double’s wife Anne becoming its chair.

A third Tory, Perranporth councilor Steve Arthur, quit the group in December last year, saying the Tory administration had “f***ed all” since coming to power in Cornwall in 2021. Last week he was ousted by Cllr Taylor of the economic growth committee after being voted in as its vice chair.

He hasn’t been told why, but he suspects it’s because he didn’t vote for conservative Anne Double’s bid to be president for a second term. Independent councilor Tim Dwelly won the chairmanship on a ticket calling for closer scrutiny of the council’s agreement to find a financial partner to run Newquay Airport.

Cllr Harvey said: “I didn’t like what happened to Steve Arthur last week and I wasn’t happy with the way John Conway was treated on Monday. It’s a big decision for me to do this – it took me from Monday until today (Thursday) to decide. I didn’t do it easily. The way things are going, I couldn’t stand it as a Tory next time. I hope the members of my ward will continue to vote for me.”

He had already written a letter to Conservative deputy leader David Harris saying he would have preferred Cllr Connor Donnithorne to become leader rather than see Cllr Taylor re-elected in May. Cllr Donnithorne failed to win the Camborne and Redruth seat for the Tories in the July 4 general election.

“If Connor had become leader, I think Steve Arthur would have then returned to the Conservative group, I wouldn’t have left and the John Conway incident would have been dropped,” Cllr Harvey said. “Connor is a good adviser – he’s the smartest in the Cabinet.

“I’ll be honest with you, I have a problem with Linda Taylor’s leadership. I’ve supported her all along, but she puts her friends in all the presidencies and vice-presidencies. He’s not a very good manager.”

He added: “As far as I am concerned, the officers run Cornwall Council, not the members. Everything is now done in the Cabinet – there seems to be a lack of democracy. I knew more when the Lib Dems and Independents were in power. We have no idea now what’s going on.”

Cllr Harvey will now form part of a new independent Conservative group along with Cllrs Arthur and Conway. “I think what will happen now is that Paul Wills, who is currently an independent Tory, will join the Tory group to make sure they still have a majority,” he told us.

Cllr Arthur, on hearing of Cllr Harvey’s decision, was also critical of the council leader. “The way Linda Taylor handles people is appalling. There is no human management at all. She is chief executive Kate Kennally’s puppet. If there was a secret ballot, she’d be gone, I’m sure of it.

Commenting on being sacked as vice-chairman of economic growth, Cllr Arthur added: “He clearly doesn’t like the democratic process. It is time for elected officials to take control of this council’s decisions that affect the people of Cornish.”

Cllr Taylor hit back at criticism leveled at her by her former colleagues, saying she was disappointed by Cllr Harvey’s decision and reluctantly accepted his resignation.

“With all political groups, as time goes on, different faiths and beliefs emerge, but we continue here. We are now a minority administration – obviously we will continue to carry out all our plans and hopefully we can get support from other members when these issues go to the full council.”

What does he think of Cllr Harvey’s suggestion that he might now try to persuade Cllr Wills to join the group to secure a majority.

“I think you need to speak to Cllr Paul Wills who is an independent. I cannot speak for Cllr Wills.”

On the personal criticism leveled at Cllr Taylor’s leadership by Harvey and Arthur, she added: “I think anyone who knows me knows that I am a very strong character in my own right. We put the right people in the right positions because they have the right skills. You have to look at where the loyalty is within the group, but at the same time I recognize that as a leader you’re not going to have everyone on board all the time.

“Right now I have the confidence of the group. I’m disappointed that they actually said that and feel the need to make rather personal remarks about me.”

A councillor, who wished to remain anonymous, blamed the crisis facing the Tories on an ongoing bid by the council to find a financial partner to take over the management of the expensive Newquay airport and develop the 650-acre airport property.

Opposition councilors and business leaders complained that there was not enough transparency in the apparent choice of an American partner and the matter should be discussed by all members.

The councillor, who wished to remain anonymous, told us: “It appears that the airport sell-off is causing very serious divisions in the Conservative group. There is much talk of a vote of no confidence in Linda Taylor.

“If they paused and rethought the future of the airport, it would probably diminish. They would be pretty crazy to go ahead with the plan that seems to have almost no support and the business community is against it.”

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