The position of the leader of Lichfield District Council is now “untenable”, according to the Labour opposition group.
The Conservative Cabinet group was decimated last night following the resignation of three of the six-man team led by Cllr Mike Wilcox.
Cllr Doug Pullen, Cllr Andy Smith and Cllr Iain Eadie all stepped down after the meeting which saw private discussions around controversial plans to foot the £49million bill for Friarsgate.
But with the wider Conservative group apparently rejecting the proposal, sources revealed to LichfieldLive that the potential collapse of the entire redevelopment scheme after the best part of a decade has ultimately led to the resignations.
Cllr Sue Woodward, leader of the opposition Labour group at the local authority, said that Cllr Wilcox now had little option but to step aside.
“In light of the resignations of three Cabinet members – 50% of the council’s executive – I believe that the leader should now consider his own position and stand down,” she said. “You simply cannot lose half of your team and continue as though nothing has happened.
“It is regrettable in some ways as Cllr Wilcox and I have worked well together on a range of issues, as I have with the three now former Cabinet members, but I believe that his position is now untenable.”
The call for Cllr Wilcox to resign as leader follows the confirmation from Cllr Pullen that he had resigned from the Cabinet as the executive group “cannot credibly continue”.
Sources within the Conservative group on Lichfield District Council have told LichfieldLive that members will not back the plan to spend £49million on Friarsgate.
Such a move would mean the local authority has to go back to the drawing board and could face the prospect of writing off millions as a result of the redevelopment scheme not going ahead.
Cllr Woodward said the Conservative leader’s decision to keep discussions around the proposals away from public view had not helped the situation.
“The resignations follow last night’s Cabinet meeting on the future of the Friarsgate shopping development,” she said. “I’m still not at liberty to disclose any of the details or indeed the decision made and that is at least part of the council’s current difficulties.
“Things simply can’t carry on as they are.”
Cllr Wilcox has been approached for comment.
