Anger as councillors are denied a chance to vote for their deputy leader

LABOUR has again intervened in Nottingham City Council, a move criticised by some of the party's own councillors.

- OLIVER PRIDMORE

The Nottingham Labour group of councillors have been denied their usual vote on who should occupy a range of roles, including deputy council leader.

Party officials have instead produced a shortlist of one for deputy leader, meaning Ethan Radford will stay in post without his colleagues getting a say. One Labour councillor has told the Post they are "angry", while others are said to be "resigned to the fact that this will be the case for years."

Labour has consistently defended the way it is intervening at national level in the running of the council, saying it is part of its mission to "rebuild" the authority and its financial stability.

Government-appointed commissioners overseeing the council have described improvements in its leadership since Labour's interventions began.

A Labour spokesman said: "We are pleased the Labour Group are making good progress in delivering a sustainable council.

"The appointment of Councillor Radford reflects the commitment the leadership are making in driving forward key priorities for the city, including economic regeneration, financial resilience, and delivering high-quality public services."

Councillor Radford said: "There is still much work to do but we are ambitious for the future as clearly demonstrated by our renewed council plan, which will provide the framework for us to become a renewed council that delivers for local people and leads Nottingham forward.