Council remains leaderless after 2nd failed election

Huddersfield Town Hall council is expected to remain without a leader for more than a month after councillors failed twice to agree on an appointment. A meeting on Thursday ended in stalemate, with neither Reform UK group leader Sarah Wood nor Green Party head Andrew Cooper securing the majority needed to lead. The same outcome followed the annual meeting when councillors could not decide who should lead the authority. A further vote is scheduled for 15 July, while the council’s chief executive takes charge in the interim. After the AGM on 21 May, Wood faced criticism after admitting she did not understand many council processes. At the reconvened meeting, Wood said she did not need to know everything because other councillors would provide support, while Cooper referenced his long tenure. Private ballots produced 29 votes for each candidate, preventing a majority. Wood said the group tried to reach a conclusion and will focus on collaboration before the next meeting.

"A meeting on Thursday again ended in stalemate with neither the Reform UK group leader Sarah Wood or Green Party head Andrew Cooper securing the majority needed to be in charge. It comes after last week's annual meeting when councillors failed to decide who should lead the authority. A further vote will now take place on 15 July, with the council's chief executive taking charge in the interim."

"Following the AGM on 21 May, Wood was widely mocked after a clip of the meeting showed her admitting she did not understand many of the council processes. That meeting was dominated by lengthy exchanges over procedure and confusion about the voting process. At the reconvened meeting on Thursday, councillors returned to the chamber in an attempt to select a leader for the second time."

"During a series of questions, Wood said she "didn't need to know everything in council" because there were 68 other councillors to collaboratively offer support, while Cooper spoke about the length of his tenure, noting that his first election was in 1999. More questions were posed on how the candidates could offer "confidence and stability", which Wood attempted to raise as a "point of order" after she viewed the question as repetitive."

"Private ballots were held for each councillor, but with each receiving 29 votes, neither gained a majority. Speaking to the BBC afterwards, Wood said: "We tried our best to reach a conclusion and left nothing off the table. "Between now and the next meeting, we will be focused on demonstrating our commitment to collaboration.""

Read at www.bbc.com