‘Most residents won’t notice the difference!’ Business as usual at West Lindsey District Council which ousted leaders and will take two months to find successors

“It’s business as usual!” Those are the words a council spokesperson has offered to reassure residents after its leaders were ousted.

West Lindsey District Council lost its leader and deputy leader in a single night as councillors’ dissatisfaction and grievances boiled over.

Members of all parties banded together to remove councillors Trevor Young and Lesley Rollings from their posts, and it’s expected to take almost two months to appoint their successors.

But while a country with a Prime Minister or a company without a chief executive would be in crisis, the authority says it will get along fine for the time being.

In the aftermath of the political drama, the council put out a statement to reassure residents that normal services like bin collections, housing and leisure facilities would continue uninterrupted.

Bill Cullen, the interim head of paid service, said: “All council services will continue to be delivered as normal, and our teams remain fully committed to serving the needs of our communities.

“If there are any re-prioritisation of activities considering recent changes, any such adjustments will be managed through our established corporate processes to ensure continuity and stability.”

He says the council ‘remains focused on our key priorities and long-term commitments to deliver for residents, businesses, and our partners across the district’.

Coun Jackie Brockway (Con), the leader of the opposition, predicted that ‘most residents won’t even notice the difference’.

West Lindsey also operates a distinctive political model which makes it easier to adapt to being without a leader.

Power is devolved to various committees, which are politically balanced depending on the makeup of the council, and can help to shape policy themselves.

Meanwhile, the chief executive oversees the day-to-day operations.

There’s no legal requirement for a committee type of council to have a leader, although West Lindsey traditionally has.

During the tumultuous meeting where the leaders were removed, councillors expressed confidence that the committees would continue to function well for several months.

Compare this with councils who run a leader-cabinet model, such as most of the ones in Lincolnshire – they would find themselves more limited in options without someone at the top to sign off on decisions.

It’s expected that a new leader for West Lindsey will be chosen at a meeting on September 8.