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SHEFFIELD Council’s Labour establishment has been rocked by more resignations of left-wing councillors, who are quitting their roles to stand with local residents for more democracy in the city’s politics.
Councillors Moya O’Rourke and Adam Hurst both resigned today to campaign on an upcoming referendum to decentralise power from the council’s current leadership, which is led by Julie Dore.
In a statement published on Facebook Ms O’Rourke, who was a cabinet assistant for business and investment, said she was “proud” to have entered that role in May and to have had an opportunity “to work to promote the exciting digital economy that is integral to our city’s future.
“However, it’s also clear that so many people in Sheffield want to see more democracy in this city,” she said.
The resignations followed the quitting of the council’s deputy leader Olivia Blake on Friday. Ms Blake, a lynchpin of the Labour left in Sheffield, said she will “take the side of the people” in the upcoming vote.
Over 26,000 people signed a petition for Sheffield City Council to move from a centralised leadership model to a committee-based decision-making system.
The number of signatories collected by the It’s Our City campaigning group far exceeded the 20,000 people needed to trigger the vote.
Cabinet member for the environment Lewis Dagnall and cabinet assistants Sophie Wilson and Fran Johnson also resigned on Sunday.
In a collective statement they said their resignations allowed them “the freedom to campaign both for democratic reform, but also for a radical Labour government and Labour council that puts the people first.”
This means that four out of 10 cabinet assistants and two out of nine cabinet members have resigned from their positions.
Labour sources tell the Star that there may be two more cabinet resignations in the coming week and that there is widespread speculation as to whether Ms Dore may face a vote of no confidence.
A council spokesman confirmed that, if all signatures are found to be legitimate, a referendum will be held in May next year at the latest.
