Council leader quits

The Labour leader has announced that she is set to resign, less than two weeks after the Advertiser told of the impending departure of chief executive Paul Doherty.

She has accepted that the council needs new direction in what is "an increasingly tough time" for the authority.

She said: "I've been left in an untenable position, but it's not about me. I'm standing aside for the good of the council."

The news follows a dreadful Government report on the council's social services department in June and last September's equally damning Ofsted report on the education department.

A further inspection the Comprehensive Performance Assessment has just been completed and is expected to condemn the council as failing.

She revealed her decision to colleagues at last night's Labour group meeting and has asked the mayor, Stan Pajak, for a special full council meeting on August 22 to make her resignation official.

Coun Bates said she had been thinking about resigning for several weeks, taking advice from Labour friends including North Swindon MP, Michael Wills.

She said: "It's an increasingly tough time for Swindon Council and because the town needs to go forward in a new direction, I'm prepared to stand aside.

"I feel that after the poor inspections that we've had, people are using personalities as an excuse for non-cooperation between political groups."

Coun Bates said she will continue to be a councillor for her Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward and will "fight hard" to represent the people who elected her.

Labour councillor John Taylor (Central) today confirmed he would stand as leader.

Conservative group leader Mike Bawden (Old Town and Lawns) revealed that, although a political opponent of Coun Bates, he never doubted her commitment to Swindon. He said: "I would like to thank her on behalf of the voters of Swindon for all her hard work. Nobody could question her level of commitment, and I hope she will continue to have a role in local government."