Swindon Labour group have raised concerns that internal disputes within the local Tory party will distract the council from the challenges facing the town. Their concerns were caused by comments made by a Tory councillor in response to news that Oliver Donachie, who resigned from the party in May, was re-joining the party. When he resigned, Cllr Donachie had called the Tory council “Lethargic and asleep at the wheel” in the local press and had made scathing comments on various Facebook pages.
When he resigned, Cllr Donachie said that the Tory council was “asleep at the wheel”. The Labour Group fears that because of internal wrangling Tory council will now be distracted at the wheel leading to the risk of a full-scale crash of leadership at a crucial time for the town.
Commenting on the news that Cllr Donachie has rejoined the Tories, Deputy Labour Group Leader Emma Bushell said, ”I am somewhat bemused at the current soap opera within the local Tory party. However, I am deeply worried that internal power struggles and personal hostilities will distract the Tory council from dealing with the current challenges facing Swindon.
“I wonder how Tory Councillors will feel about working with a councillor who just a few weeks ago called them stale and asleep at the wheel. Personal hostilities between these councillors were on public display and disrupted the last council meeting and an unnamed Tory councillor has talked about a potential challenge to the Tory Leader. In this toxic and chaotic environment I wonder whether the Cabinet will be able to work together and make effective decisions.
“The Town is facing a crucial period trying to contain local Covid-19 outbreaks and manage the economic impact of the pandemic and Honda’s imminent closure. The list of companies closing stores or making redundancies is growing. It is vital that the energy of the Tory Council and its councillors is focused on meeting these challenges and not on internal power struggles and personal hostilities.”
“Swindon residents deserve better than this from those running the council.”
