Coventry City Council could have its first woman leader

Coventry City Council could have its first female leader next month, the Telegraph can reveal.



Long-standing councillor Ann Lucas is all set to challenge John Mutton for the leadership of the council’s ruling Labour group, we have learned.

She will run on a platform of councillor Phil Townshend becoming deputy leader of the council.

But the Telegraph understands Coun Mutton hopes to fight off the attempted coup and stay on as leader for another year, before resigning.

His supporters will spend the coming weeks trying to persuade enough Labour councillors to vote for Coun Mutton – who has been Labour group leader for ten years.

But Coun Lucas’s supporters are confident they already have enough votes to topple him.

The Labour group of 43 councillors will vote to decide who is the council’s next leader at the group’s annual general meeting on May 3.

Some sources claim Coun Lucas has secured 28 votes so far, which would give her a clear majority. But others believe voting would be very close.

Coun Lucas, a 62-year-old Holbrooks councillor, has held a powerful national Labour party position for four years on the ruling National Executive Committee. She’s expected to submit her nomination by tomorrow’s deadline, bar unexpected last-minute manoeuvres.

Sources say she will only stand if she is confident of winning a leadership contest. It is understood Coun Lucas would be the first female council leader in Coventry.

The leader runs the council and is usually the leader of the party with the most elected councillors, just as the Prime Minister is leader of the government.

The position should not be confused with the ceremonial role of Lord Mayor, which has been held by several city women including Pearl Hyde, Joan Wright, Sheila Collins and Maggie Rosher.

Hazel Noonan proud to be Coventry's next Deputy Lord Mayor



A GRANDMOTHER who was born and bred in Coventry has been chosen as the city’s next Deputy Lord Mayor.

Conservative councillor Hazel Noonan, who represents Cheylesmore, has spoken of her pride at the honour.

She will start her year-long term as deputy in the middle of next month.

The current Deputy Lord Mayor, Coun Gary Crookes, will succeed Coun Tim Sawdon as the next Lord Mayor of Coventry at the same time.

Coun Noonan would then be set to become Lord Mayor the following May.

Coun Noonan, a mum-of-two and grandmother, lives in Whitley and first got involved in local politics in 1995 when fighting an issue concerning her family business.

In 1998 she stood for Upper Stoke and in 2000 was elected Cheylesmore ward councillor.

From 2004 – 2007 she served as Cabinet Member for Community Services and in 2007 she became Cabinet Member for City Services until 2010.

In 2010 Coun Noonan also made a bid to become MP.

She will be accompanied in her public duties as Deputy Lord Mayor by her son Christopher who will be her Consort.

Coun Noonan said: “I am absolutely delighted with this opportunity, having been born and bred in Coventry.

“I’ve enjoyed serving Coventry people since 2000 when I became a Cheylesmore ward Councillor and I look forward to the great honour of serving them further as Deputy Lord Mayor.

“My son is also delighted to be taking the role of Consort as he too has lived and worked in Coventry, he is also looking forward to meeting new people and organisations in the city.”

Hazel grew up on a dairy and arable farm in Keresley.

Her first job was working on the family milk round where she took the milk from the farm direct to customers.

In 1971 she got married and had two children – Anne and Christopher, the eldest, who will be accompanying her as consort.

Hazel has been a keen horse rider and as an amateur jockey won five races.

First female Coventry council leader as John Mutton is ousted by Ann Lucas


Ann Lucas and John Mutton

Coventry City Council is to have its first female leader - after Ann Lucas defeated John Mutton in a hard-fought contest.

The ruling group of 43 Labour councillors cast their votes in a secret ballot in the two-horse race for the group leadership.

She will officially become council leader at an annual general meeting on May 16. Her deputy will be councillor Phil Townshend, who defeated outgoing deputy leader George Duggins in tonight's ballot.

Coun Mutton had hoped to fight off the coup and stay on as leader for another year, before resigning.

He has been Labour group leader for ten years and council leader since Labour took control in 2010.

The final results have not been announced. But the Telegraph understands both contests were close and came within a handful of votes.

Unconfirmed reports are that Coun Lucas won 25-18, and Coun Townshend by 24 votes to 19.

Coun Mutton said: "I'm privileged and proud to have been the leader of the Labour group for ten years, which is unheard of in modern times.

"I would have liked one year more to finish the project I started. That isn't to be.

"I can now be a bad-tempered, grump old git on the back benches."

Coun Lucas, a 62-year-old Holbrooks councillor, has held a powerful national Labour party position for four years on the ruling National Executive Committee.

The leader runs the council and is usually the leader of the party with the most elected councillors, just as the Prime Minister is leader of the government.

The position should not be confused with the ceremonial role of Lord Mayor, which has been held by several city women including Pearl Hyde, Joan Wright, Sheila Collins and Maggie Rosher.

The new leadership will have a 'living wage' within 100 days, having more non-profit social enterprises to run council services amid heavy government funding cuts, and new forms of borrowing for social housing.

Coun Mutton survived plotting last year to oust him as leader when ultimately no-one stood against him.

But an ever expanding Labour group since the party regained control at the Council House in 2010 did last year successfully oust some Mutton loyalists from the cabinet and group executive committee.

A leadership contest this year has been anticipated ever since.

Last year, we revealed council deputy leader George Duggins had at one point considered standing to be leader, and that Jim O'Boyle had considered challenging Coun Mutton this year, with Coun Phil Townshend as his deputy.

Coun Lucas was a beneficiary of last year's shake-up, when she regained a cabinet post for the first time since before Labour lost control of the council in 2004.

The Labour group is now in total command at the Council House - with 43 seats against the Conservatives' 11, and no independents, after Socialist councillor Dave Nellist and Lib Dem Russell Field were defeated in last year's elections.

The second part of tonight's Labour group AGM on Tuesday will conclude elections to the council's ruling cabinet, and the group's executive committee.

There are no elections this year at Coventry City Council.

Coun Lucas is a champion of women's rights, and a 62-year-old grandmother of six who beat off breast cancer three years ago.

She emerged from the shadows of scrutiny committees and the backbenches last year to become cabinet member for community services.

Last month, she announced £6million of planned adult services cuts including closing elderly people's homes and disabled day centres - and the potential loss of more than 150 council carers' jobs. She said she was doing so with an "angry heart" in response to government funding cuts.

In the late 1970s, she was a waitress at a Berni Inn where she quickly became a union shop steward. Coun Lucas joined the Labour Party in Bablake about the same time, and became a councillor there in 1995.

She lost her seat in 2000 but was promptly re-elected the following year in Holbrooks. She served as cabinet member for leisure, and for social services, before Labour lost control of the council in 2004.

As well as bring up two children, she has worked for the tax office and British Telecom. She has been elected onto the Labour party's national executive committee for the last four years.

Coun Townshed said: "Coventry has its first woman leader and Ann Lucas is an outstanding candidate to lead the city forwards and to face the challenges in front of us.

"She is a person who has known adversity in her personal life and her service to the city and the Labour Party has been well reported.

"It would be wrong tonight not to pay tribute to John Mutton who had led the Labour Party of the city council for over ten years both in opposition and control,

"The people of Coventry owe him an enormous debt of gratitude as does the Labour Party."

I want to make Coventry great again, says new council leader Ann Lucas



Coventry City Council’s first female leader Ann Lucas has pledged action not words in a bid to make the city “great again”.

The long-standing councillor defeated John Mutton in a hard-fought two-way contest to become leader of the council’s ruling Labour group in a secret ballot of its 43 councillors on Friday night.

The deputy council leader will be councillor Phil Townshend, who defeated outgoing deputy leader George Duggins.

Coun Lucas told the Coventry Telegraph: “This is my city. It’s a city I believe in with a passion.

“I sense Coventry is feeling a bit lost. Coventry has been great. I want it to be great again for my grandchildren and everybody’s grandchildren.”

“I don’t use 24 words if one will do. Actions speak louder than words. There is a job of work to be done.”

“People are not interested in who got how many votes, but if they can pay the bills, whether they have got a job, and the quality of housing.

“I feel immensely proud. It’s a huge responsibility which might seem a bit daunting, but I feel I’m ready for it – political maturity has nothing to do with age.”

Coun Lucas – a 62-year-old grandmother-of-six who beat breast cancer three years ago – won by 25 votes to 18, and Coun Townshend by 24 votes to 19.

The second part of the Labour group’s AGM tomorrow, will include a vote for who will be on the council’s new ruling cabinet, and the group’s executive committee.

Holbrooks councillor Lucas said: “Being the first woman leader is more important to others than to me.

“What’s important is having diverse membership.

“We’re 51 per cent of the population. Therefore, we should have a more equal say.

“When women are involved in politics, politics takes on a less aggressive and adversarial role.”

The new leadership will introduce a “living wage” of £7.45-an-hour for 2000 of the lowest pay council staff within 100 days; have more non-profit social enterprises running council services amid heavy government funding cuts; and will look at new forms of borrowing for social housing.

A Sky Blues supporter since 1962, Coun Lucas declined to comment on whether there would be any change in the ongoing legal row between Coventry City Council, the Ricoh company Arena Coventry Ltd the council part owns, and the football club.

She said: “Having taken legal advice, I can’t comment about anything concerning the football club. As soon as I can, I will.

“I’m mindful of legal action.

“I’m not prepared to say anything that might harm the council, ACL or my beloved football club.”

Coun Lucas, who attended St Lawrence’s CofE School in disadvantaged Bell Green before passing the 11-plus and going to Barr’s Hill School – then an all-girls grammar – added: “Maybe, just maybe, a fresh pair of eyes will help in my conversations with business leaders, our two world class universities who are very keen to work with us.”

She added: “I could easily have lost, and John Mutton still has huge expertise and knowledge and I’m looking forward to working with it.”

Coun Mutton survived plotting last year to oust him as leader when ultimately no-one stood against him.

A leadership contest this year has been anticipated ever since.

Coun Lucas was a beneficiary of last year’s shake-up, when she regained a cabinet post (community services) for the first time since before Labour lost control of the council in 2004.

In February, she announced £6million of planned adult services cuts including closing elderly people’s homes and disabled day centres – and the potential loss of more than 150 council carers’ jobs.

She said she was doing so with an “angry heart” in response to government funding cuts.

She has been a councillor for all but one year since 1995 – and has held a national Labour party position for the last four years on the ruling National Executive Committee.

As well as bringing up two children, she has worked for the tax office and British Telecom.

Coun Townshend said: “Coventry has its first woman leader and Ann Lucas is an outstanding candidate to lead the city forward.

“It would be wrong not to pay tribute to John Mutton

“The people of Coventry owe him an enormous debt of gratitude as does the Labour party.”

* The council leader’s position should not be confused with the ceremonial role of Lord Mayor, which has been held by several city women including Pearl Hyde, Joan Wright, Sheila Collins and Maggie Rosher.

New leader on a mission to chop top earners at Coventry council

A Major cull of six-figure-earning Coventry City Council bosses is being lined up by its new leader.

Newly elected Ann Lucas intends to dramatically cut the number of assistant directors at the Council House from 27 to 20 – to deliver £1million-a-year savings.

Many more managers and back-office staff will go under plans to merge the council’s customer and workforce services directorate with the finance and legal service department – saving the council a further £2m.

The intention is to find more savings in bureaucracy as leaders struggle to find money for frontline services in the community, amid unprecedented government funding cuts to councils.

Both pledges are contained in a 20-point manifesto – seen by the Telegraph – which Coun Lucas issued to her 42 fellow Labour councillors as she sought their votes in a leadership contest on May 3.

A secret ballot of Labour councillors saw her oust long-serving John Mutton as leader of the Labour group and the council.

It’s understood the new leadership team – who will officially take their positions after the council’s annual general meeting on Thursday – believe former Labour colleagues did not go far enough in finding cuts from senior management.

Asked about the management cull, Coun Lucas said only: “In the current climate, every penny has to be well spent and our priority is to protect frontline services.”

She added she would have more to say about the plan after Thursday.

As the Telegraph exclusively revealed two years ago, at least 23 senior executives – including assistant directors – have remuneration of £100,000 or more in salary, pensions and other payments combined.

Coun Lucas’s deputy council leader Phil Townshend will take charge of implementing the manifesto, called “a programme for action”.

“Rising star” Damian Gannon, a 26-year-old Warwick University postgraduate student who became a councillor only two years ago, will be responsible for wielding the axe for senior management in pushing through the ruling Labour group’s annual budgets, as the new cabinet member for finance.

We have revealed other parts of the 20-point programme for action, including introducing a “living wage” of £7.65 for the lowest paid 2,000 council workers within 100 days.

Social enterprise partnerships with Coventry and Warwick universities will deliver some council care services for the elderly and disabled.

The manifesto also pledges to explore with other councils setting up a munipical bank, with local authorities underwriting loans to businesses and first time buyers; and setting a minimum target of 1,000 social homes a year, working with financiers to achieve it.

The plan pledges to seek a work placement leading to an apprenticeship with a major city employer for every school leaver not in education, employment or training.

New targets will also be set for reducing inequality, particularly child poverty; and a “cohort of volunteers” will read to vulnerable children in libraries.

A multi-agency “advice board” would look to maximise funding for welfare benefits and housing advice with the expertise of the Citizens Advice Bureau and Coventry Law Centre, which have been hit by government legal aid cuts.

New leader accused of U-turn over plans to cut Coventry council top earners

Incoming Coventry City Council leader Ann Lucas has been accused of backtracking on her own manifesto pledge to cut senior bosses from 27 to 20.

Opposition Conservatives seized on remarks she made after yesterday’s Telegraph revealed the plan was contained in her own manifesto.

Her “programme for action” had been issued to Labour colleagues as she sought their votes for a leadership contest on May 3, when she defeated John Mutton as ruling Labour group leader in a secret ballot.

Point two of the 20-point plan states: “Reduce assistant directors by circa one third from 27 to 20, making savings of circa £1million per annum recurring.”

Responding to our story in a BBC radio interview yesterday, she said: “That’s the ambition. Are you going to kill me if I were to say, ‘Well actually it wasn’t quite that many’?

“We have to look in-depth at what everybody does. I am talking about the top end of the scale. I know what care workers do. I know what a lollipop lady does.”

She added it would be “crass” to talk about individual senior management posts, but added: “It’s only right with a new broom that people have to convince me that the job they do is relevant and can be afforded.”

We reported two years ago 23 directors or assistant directors have around six-figure remuneration.

Point one of the manifesto pledges to “merge the customer and workforce services directorate with the finance and legal services directorate, with target savings of circa £2m per annum recurring”.

Point three is to “introduce the ‘living wage’ for all council employees within 100 days”. Coun Lucas pledged yesterday insisted that would be introduced.

New Tory group leader, Coun John Blundell, said: “Ann Lucas was elected on this manifesto. They have the power to ensure these pledges are kept. I will hold them to it, and wait and see what happens over the next year.

“We support a living wage in principle, and of a reduction in senior managers across the board.

“The challenge is for the Labour leadership to stand by their manifesto, leaked by their own side.”

Outgoing Tory leader Kevin Foster said: “My understanding is this manifesto was put out by her side to convince people Ann Lucas should be leader, not only for personal ambition or to knife John Mutton, but because they had a new direction for the council.

“After just two weeks, the ‘programme for action’ appears to be a programme for indecision.”

Coun Lucas becomes council leader on Thursday, with Coun Phil Townshend as her deputy.

if I were to say, ‘Well actually it wasn’t quite that many’?

Even local politics is tainted by lies and misrepresentation.

Where's Baldy, he'd have words to say about this.