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Colchester Labour leader Julie Young on council negotiations
Following an uneventful election night last month, the consensus was that everything was business usual at Colchester Council.
No party had seized a majority and it was expected the town hall would continue to be ruled by a Labour, the Lib Dem and Green Party coalition.
But what was actually to follow was a remarkable collapse which saw the Lib Dems seize overall control when national Labour officials put the brakes on a coalition deal.
It took almost three weeks for the party’s National Executive Committee to tell its Colchester councillors: “Do not accept a junior position. It is our turn to lead.”
But with a deal already agreed at a local level and a desire to continue as things stood, the bombshell left Labour councillors in no man’s land.
“It was three weeks I wish went differently and I didn’t have to go through,” admitted Mrs Young.
Now the dust has settled, the veteran councillor wants to have her say on what happened in those weeks following election night.
It came just days after it was announced she would be succeeding Chris Pearson as Labour leader who himself had only just succeeded the departing Adam Fox.
“It was hugely stressful I have to say. I was newly elected as leader and I had never done that role before,” said Mrs Young, who was first elected to Colchester Council in 1998.
“I did feel a burden of responsibility for delivering a deal with the NEC which ultimately was not possible.
“I took part in honest negotiations with the Lib Dems and what was on offer in terms of the NEC wasn’t acceptable to the Lib Dems, so reluctantly we had to step back.
“The party’s national position since 2008 is that we have been the junior partner in this but when we drew level their position was we should be in power.
“When we put that to the Lib Dems they weren’t in a position to accept that.”
The news came as a surprise to the city’s Labour councillors who expected to continue as they were and split the council’s cabinet in half.
Councillors had been informally told about cabinet positions they were to take on but were left reeling when the plans went up in smoke.
An insider told the Gazette the party’s members were “shocked” they didn’t make any gains during the local elections.
It meant Labour and Lib Dems remain tied with 15 seats each, with the Conservatives holding 19 and the Greens two.
Mrs Young continued: “Obviously there was a great deal of disappointment that we weren’t able to get an agreement but sometimes in life you have to accept things you can’t change and this is one of them.
“I hope this relationship will stand the test of time to a point where we can return to cabinet together.”
The Labour leader has been quick to assemble her new-look team and is ready to kick-on.
Councillors have been assigned shadow cabinet positions and she will be briefed on everything with David King going forward.
“I am feeling quite confident that we won’t be sidelined and we will continue to influence decisions,” she added.
And as far as relations go between the parties, Mrs Young insisted they remain strong.
She said: “Any successful organisation depends on good relationships. There are strong personal relationships between both parties at all levels.
“I get on very well with David King and I know other members in the group get on well with other councillors.”
For Mr King, it was “gutting” to find out Labour couldn’t get the permission it needed to continue in coalition.
He said: “I felt the responsibility, as leader of the council, to deliver. It was an early morning mental alarm clock every day, to make progress swiftly.
“Post-election our Labour friends agreed that the best way ahead was continuity. That the Lib Dems led the Council but we worked in a real joined-up and effective way.
“It was great to secure that agreement.”
