MELKSHAM’S newly-elected town council has scrapped the roles of leader and deputy leader in a council shake-up last week.
The two roles that were created in late 2019 to oversee the ‘strategic plan’ for the town council, were described as “unnecessary” for a council of Melksham’s size and councillors voted unanimously to “abolish” them.
New mayor, cllr Jon Hubbard, referred to the experience of the past 18 months, which saw a number of council clashes behind the scenes and in council meetings, as demonstrating why the leader roles were “not appropriate”.
Reading out his proposal to “abolish” the roles, that was seconded by cllr Phil Alford, cllr Hubbard said, “Melksham Town Council is a relatively small council, with just 15 members and is regulated by the local government act, which forbids the placing of any executive powers in the hands of any single councillor.
“We believe that the experience of the past 18 months with the roles of leader and deputy leader demonstrate that these roles at this time are not appropriate for the council, and therefore we propose to abolish them.”
Cllr Alford added, “It implies that you need a leader of the opposition, and again it’s fairly divisive in what should be a very open, friendly and cohesive council.”
The roles of leader and deputy leader were previously held by ex-town councillors Vanessa Fiorelli and Adrienne Westbrook.
The introduction of the two roles in late 2019 had divided councillors at the time, with some questioning why the roles were necessary. But the majority of councillors voted in favour of the new leadership structure, explaining that a leader would complement the roles of mayor and deputy mayor, helping them to focus on ceremonial duties.