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Town hall coup fails: Tories defy bid to oust them in dustbins row
The Conservatives are still in control of Calderdale Council today after Labour's bid to oust them ended in failure.
Liberal Democrats refused to back Lab-our's "no confidence" vote in the Tory administration, which is headed by Stephen Baines.
The Lib Dems said both groups were to blame for the multi-million pound refuse contract scandal.
Labour's Barry Collins said people would expect those who were on watch to take responsibility for the bins fiasco which, it is claimed, could have cost council taxpayers 6 million.
He said: "People won't understand if three or four officers are hung out in the wind if, by a political stitch-up, no one takes political responsibility for what's happened."
He said Conservative councillor Graham Reason (Northowram and Shelf) should quit his role as environmental services spokesman.
Liberal Democrat group leader Janet Battye agreed and pressed for scrutiny panel member Bob Metcalfe (Lab, Town) to join him.
She said: "We are not prepared to plunge Cald-erdale into civic chaos by calling for the entire cabinet to resign.
"But it should be censured for allowing a culture to develop where officers feel they can deliberately withhold information from councillors."
Councillor Metcalfe said it was unbelievable that he was being targeted like a political pawn.
"I would have needed to be at the heart of the decision-making process to know what was going on and I wasn't," he said. The Conservative leader Stephen Baines told last night's meeting: "We should apologise to people."
This proposal was approved by the entire council.
Councillor Baines went on: "Consultants looked at all the issues surrounding the refuse contract and concluded that no councillors were guilty of the errors which occurred.
"I was told I could not challenge the contract process and so we had to bow to it.
"It is totally wrong to blame any individual," he said.
The council agreed that chief executive Owen Williams should investigate the conduct and capability of officers involved in negotiating the bins contract with Sita, including staff who have already left the council's employ.
Meanwhile a new system is to be set up for awarding council contracts.
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Weather for Halifax
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: 0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
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Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 1 C
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