Under-fire Local Government Minister Steve Reed threatened a council leader “via back channels” in a bid to force through local election postponements.
That is according to Kay Mason Billig, the Tory leader of Norfolk County Council, who launched an explosive rant about Mr Reed, branding him a “two-faced bully”.
The Government had put elections on hold for 30 councils, including Norfolk, due to a wide-scale reorganisation of how local government is run.
But the Government carried out another U-turn on Monday after Mr Reed said “recent legal advice” confirmed the delays were illegal.
Councils across the country are now having to prepare for May 7 elections after previously being told they would not go ahead.
Mrs Mason Billig expressed her frustration at a council meeting on Tuesday and accused Mr Reed of attempting underhand tactics to force her council’s hand.
“I can now say what I like about the Secretary of State – I’ve never met him or spoken to him but I know him to be a two-faced bully who doesn’t care about Norfolk, who doesn’t care about local government, who doesn’t even care about his own Labour councillors”, she said.
“I’d really like to quote Rik Mayall at this point – what an utter, utter b*****d”.
She added: “Steve Reed made threats – not to my face, but through various back channels. I was left in no doubt that if we wanted the money and powers for devolution, then this council would have to agree to the postponements and deliver local government reorganisation.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government spokesman told GB News: “These claims are untrue. Norfolk’s place on the devolution priority programme has never been contingent on the timing of local authority elections and we remain committed to working with all local partners on mayoral devolution in Norfolk and Suffolk.”
