Shock as Bedworth councillor leaves local Labour group in Nuneaton Town Hall 'bombshell'

[dutchman]

He announced that he could not be part of a group that focused on 'titles' and 'topping up pensions'



A Bedworth councillor revealed his shock resignation from the local Labour group. In what was described as 'bombshell' announcement, councillor Rob Roze last night (July 2) told a full council meeting he was becoming an independent.

While still a member of the Labour party, he said he could not remain in the group locally due to a focus on 'titles' and 'topping up pensions'. Back in May, Cllr Roze was replaced as cabinet member for planning.

He became the second Labour councillor to leave the group in recent months. Councillor Will Markham sensationally defected to the Conservatives in December last year amid a number of concerns, most notably an increase councillors' allowances.

Cllr Roze's decision to become an independent means Labour now has 18 members. The council remains in No Overall Control (NOC) with 17 Conservatives, two Green party members and now one independent.

The Heath ward councillor said in his announcement, which the Tories went on to describe as a bombshell, that traditional Labour values are not being practised locally.

He said: "I entered public life because I believe in equality, ambition, and service to people. Those are the values that brought me into the Labour party and into this chamber. That belief hasn’t changed, but what has changed is how those values are being practised by the Labour group locally.

"Time and again, I’ve seen scrutiny treated as disloyalty, questioning discouraged, and honest participation shut down. We’ve developed a culture that rewards silence and punishes challenge. And too often, we’ve become more focused on telling the public what we want them to hear and less willing to give them what they truly need to know."

It went on: "We serve a borough where many face long term unemployment, poor health, unbearable living costs, and limited opportunities to succeed. And yet, despite this, we lack a serious, joined vision for how to rebuild this place not just as a project and another project, but as a whole. A plan for how people can live and work here.

"And the evidence of that failure is visible in the simplest things. Residents still can't watch or hear what happens in this very chamber. That’s not a question of whether we can, it’s proof that we choose not to. Because we don't prioritise openness, we don't prioritise participation, and that reflects where we’ve gone wrong.

"To me, being a councillor is not a retirement top-up or a title. It is a public facing responsibility. And there is no such thing as quietly doing the right thing when the public can’t see or hear it.

"So while I remain a Labour party member and still believe in its core values, I cannot stay silent in a group culture that contradicts them so deeply. From today, I will serve as an independent councillor committed to scrutiny, transparency, and public service for the residents."