Eight former Labour Bolsover District Councillors join Independents during two-year exodus
Bolsover District Council’s Labour Group has seen its majority reduced by nearly a third in two years after eight former Labour members have become Independent councillors.
The Labour-controlled local authority previously boasted 31 seats after the May 2023 district election but they have been reduced to just 23 after an exodus has seen the number of Independents increase to ten councillors alongside one Non-aligned Independent.
Most notably, former Labour councillor, Stephen Fritchley, who stepped down as the Council Leader, in January, following a code of conduct breach, is among those to have joined the Independents making the group the second strongest at the authority ahead of two Conservatives, Will Fletcher and Louise Cox, one Non-aligned Independent, Ross Walker, and one Reform councillor, Carol Wood.
Independent Group Leader, Cllr Deborah Watson, who represents Tibshelf, said: “Obviously each member that has left [the Labour Group] had their own reasons. A number have said they are no longer happy with national party politics and this party is going through changes and they wanted to vote independently for the people of the district.
“For me, I have been on the authority for 18 years. I have always been an Independent. I think it is great, and they have said that and how much more liberating it is to be an Independent and… you can vote with your heart for what is best for the district.”
Since the May 2023 election, eight former Labour councillors have joined the Independents and they include: Chris Kane for Shirebrook North; Emma Stevenson for South Normanton East; Sandra Peake for Langwith; Stephen Fritchley for Langwith; Jen Wilson for Shirebrook North; Janet Tait for Shirebrook South; Rita Turner for Elmton-with-Creswell; And Anne Clarke for Bolsover East.
Four Independents also now represent nearly all the council board members with one Reform councillor on the authority’s development company Dragonfly Development Ltd which oversees council building projects.
Dragonfly has attracted debate over whether it poses a conflict of interest mixing a commercial company with a public authority’s work – something strongly disputed by Cllr Fritchley when he was the former Council Leader.
Cllr Watson added that all the Independents will vote with their consciences to get the best results for the district and she stressed that every administration needs a strong opposition to ‘tap them on the shoulder’ and question whether something is right.
She also said the Independents would be working to get the best results for the district regarding Government plans for Local Government Reorganisation with the possible introduction of unitary councils to replace two-tier areas which currently operate with county, and then district and borough councils.
During further changes at Bolsover District Council since the 2023 election, new Independent Cllr Fritchley has been among three high-ranking councillors to have stepped down from major roles.
Labour Councillor Duncan McGregor retired as Deputy Leader, in January, but he continues to serve as the council’s Vice Chairperson and as a councillor for Elmton-with-Creswell.
Cllr McGregor, who is also an Elmton-with-Creswell Parish Councillor, has faced criticism regarding the parish council’s costly Creswell leisure centre which was completed by Dragonfly when the original contractors fell into administration and it lies at the centre of the parish council’s financial struggles.
And Labour Cllr Tom Munro stepped down as Council Chairperson, in March, to take up a new role as the Cabinet Member for Growth while Labour Cllr Duncan Haywood was appointed as the new Chairperson.
Former Conservative Bolsover District Councillor, Carol Wood, for Bolsover South, also joined Reform UK, in September, 2024, claiming the majority of her constituents shared her views as she accused the Tories of squandering Government funding.
Labour Council Leader, Cllr Jane Yates, who was appointed, in January, with new Labour Deputy Leader, Cllr Donna Hales, with a pledge to provide excellent services and drive growth has been ‘deeply saddened’ to see long-standing Labour councillors join the Independent Group.
Cllr Yates said: “Bolsover District Council Labour Group is deeply saddened to lose such long-standing Labour councillors who have [been] working tirelessly for their communities upholding the principles that Labour has long stood for, and they will now continue to represent their communities as Independent councillors.
“Bolsover District Council will continue to work hand in hand with the Labour Government to deliver the change that people voted for last year [in the general election] – creating jobs, building homes, fixing our NHS, and making sure that more money is returned to the pockets of working families.”
Regarding the possible effects for the council with the loss of Labour councillors and an increasing number of Independents, Cllr Yates pointed out committee membership is proportional to the number of seats held by a political party or group and the council is currently finalising committee membership for the 2025-26 year.
Labour still largely holds power across the district and borough local authorities in Derbyshire and the party enjoyed a boost in last year's general election when Labour MPs seized control of all the county's constituencies.
However, Labour failed to take control from the former the Conservative-controlled Derbyshire County Council in the county elections in May which saw the new Reform UK administration seize the authority by a majority.
The Labour Government’s recent decisions are widely believed to be responsible for a decline in popularity in polls and recent elections with continuing debates over its policies on winter fuel payment cuts for pensioners, welfare cuts, tax increases, an increase in employers’ national insurance payments, and changes to inheritance tax affecting farmers.