Chaos at the Cabinet
It is evident that Mayor Fiaz is now struggling for her political survival. At the cabinet meeting on Tuesday 20th February she was planning to submit her budget plans for approval.
On the night of Monday 19th, reports came to Open Newham that the mayor was demanding that the Chair of the NEC, one Cllr James Asser, “do something” to sort out the mess she suddenly found herself in. But it is apparent that, even from his exulted position on the NEC of the Labour Party, he was unable to help.
Fiaz’s mismanagement of the finances had led to the situation where half of the Labour Group were resolute in their opposition to her proposals. They took the nuclear option and voted against her budget, replacing much of it with the proposals of the Budget Working Party.
In any other place, the failure to get your budget agreed, when you have a majority of 10:1 on the council, would be a resignation matter. When your own party does not have confidence in you, perhaps it is time to go.
Some wags have pondered how long she can remain. In a Leader and Cabinet model (the model she purported to support before got into office), when the Group declares that it no longer has confidence in the leader, the leader has to go. As mayor, they note, she is left squatting in the leader’s office.
But then, how many of us would give up a job bringing in close to £90k a year, just because we were useless at it?
We note that the re-convened Labour Group set for Thursday has a motion aimed at cutting the costs of the mayor’s office. Perhaps the mover should amend it to include, cutting the mayor’s salary! Maybe then she will get the message.
But back to the cabinet.
No sooner had they convened, than they suddenly adjourned. Apparently, they had some really important matters to discuss before the business of the meeting could start. So, the politicians retired to discuss the events of the night before and everyone else was left twiddling their thumbs. For two hours.
When the mayor returned, it was to systematically go through her budget proposals and metaphorically put a red line though much of it. It was clear that overnight, she had decided to adopt all of the recommendations of the Budget Working Party agreed at Labour Group. Recommendations that she had strenuously argued against the night before. Effectively, this meant that the budget she will present to council is no longer her budget.
It is clear that back-benchers have their sights on reducing costs by cutting some of the mayor’s pet programmes. This will add to the humiliation.
She sits in the chair, but no longer exercises control.