The leader of Warwick District Council has been told it is time to step down amid a "crisis of leadership and culture" and a "toxic" administration.

During a frank address at yesterday's (September 4) full council meeting, Conservative councillor Jan Matecki told leader, Cllr Ian Davison, problems in the administration "can no longer be ignored" and said it was time for change.

Cllr Matecki's comments came during a special meeting of councillors called to discuss the stability of the local authority.

This follows the resignation of councillors, criticism of the leadership from former Labour members who have resigned the whip and the fact a councillor was found to have broken the code of conduct in addressing a staff member.

'Crisis of leadership'

Cllr Matecki said this had "laid bare a crisis of leadership and culture at Warwick District Council that can no longer be ignored".

"Cllr Adkins - a respected former housing portfolio holder - resigned citing a persistent lack of respect from both Green councillors Lowell Williams and council leader Ian Davison," he continued. 

"Her words were damning. 

"I quote 'I can no longer be in an administration with people who behave like that'. 

"She described the culture where colleagues and officers were treated 'very badly and without any respect'. 

"And where complaints were dragged out and kicked down the road - those were her words not mine."

He then called "publicly and unequivocally for a change of leadership", asked the leader to resign and said the council needs a change of direction "rooted in respect, transparency and accountability". 

'Full steam ahead'

In response, Cllr Ian Davison did not resign and said he wanted the details of the report into Cllr Williams' behaviour to be made public.

This is due to be discussed at a meeting of the audit and standards committee later this month.

"You are quite right, numbers [of councillors] have changed," he said. 

"The pure numbers of how many are in the administration have gone down. We have two by-elections at the moment. 

"The administration is 21, and the other groups are 21."

He continued: "In terms of stability, what the administration is trying to achieve, I have spoken to all group leaders and asked what do you think of our corporate strategy. 

"We are full steam ahead, we are going out as fast as we can.

"I haven't had any indication of a change of direction needed. In terms of stability, that is not a problem to me."

Political upheaval 

Thursday's meeting was sparked after the resignation of councillors Lara Cron and Adkins, as well as the three Labour members - Cllr Paul Wightman, Cllr Claire Wightman and Cllr Dan Browne - quitting Labour to stand as independents claiming that the party's group was "not led in an ethical or inclusive way".

The Green-Labour coalition therefore has just 21 seats of the 44 seats, ahead of the by-elections in Kenilworth Park Hill and Leamington Clarendon.

Ms Cron's resignation came as her family moved away from the district, meanwhile Ms Adkins' came with criticism of the administration.

"There have been a number of situations where I have felt these two particular people at the top of the Green leadership – not the Labour leadership – have treated people very badly and without any respect.

"This includes other colleagues and officers, there are a number of people and I just couldn't tolerate it any longer."

She added that "it wasn't being called out or dealt with effectively" by any politicians and felt the formal complaint was "kicked down the road" by council officials.

"At every point it was dragged out," she said.

"It has taken eight or nine months to go through that process and it is still not adequate." 

Ms Adkins went on to cite "unacceptable behaviour by the leader" across "a number of instances".

"I can no longer be in an administration with people who behave like that," she said.