A former leader of the Liberal Democrats on East Riding Council has accused his party of suspending him because of his position on the devolution deal.
According to the Lib Dems, Cllr David Nolan has been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation. However, Cllr Nolan claims he has been targeted for his opposition to the proposed Hull and East Riding devolution deal, which is currently undergoing consultation.
The councillor said:
“I was outspoken about the mayor and I was told to keep quiet, so this is now going to the regional party for them to look at. There was a feeling that we ought to be keeping quiet, but this won’t change what I’ve been doing which is to present the pluses and minuses for a mayor, it’s a matter for the public.”
Cllr Nolan’s suspension from the Lib Dems was confirmed in an email sent by the opposition group’s current leader, Cllr Denis Healy, to political group leaders and senior officers. In the email, which has been seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service,
Cllr Healy writes:
“Council leaders and executive directors please note that Cllr David Nolan has been suspended from the Liberal Democrat group with immediate effect, pending the outcome of an internal party investigation. I am unable to comment further while the investigation is ongoing.”
Cllr Healy said the investigation would involve the regional party and probe internal disciplinary issues, but declined to comment further. The group leader later said that he did not want to prejudice the outcome of the investigation by commenting further.
Cllr Nolan was the only East Riding councillor to vote against the draft deal, which he branded a gravy train. In December, he said the eight-week consultation, which runs until the end of February, was an illusion.
The rest of the Liberal Democrat group backed the consultation. However, earlier this week, Cllr Healy called for the integrity of the consultation to be protected after the phrase “back the deal” appeared in council promotions of the exercise.
Cllr Leo Hammond, a council cabinet member, told councillors that the phase “back the deal” had been removed. He said the consultation was objective and would be independently verified. Cllr Anne Handley, the leader of East Riding Council, has said that the authority would not go ahead with the deal if the consultation showed people were against it.
Cllr Nolan was leader of the Liberal Democrat group until he was ousted by his then deputy Cllr Healy following last year’s local elections. He currently sits on committees for Overview Management and Scrutiny, and for Planning and Western Area Planning.
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