COUNCIL leader Terry O’Neill is facing a fresh challenge to his role the Warrington Guardian understands.
A plot led by Cllr Graham Friend, the current deputy leader, and former executive member Linda Dirir is under way to try to secure the role at Labour’s annual meeting next Thursday, May 4.
A source told the Warrington Guardian that while Cllr O’Neill is likely to hang on to his job the far less experienced team of Cllr Friend and Cllr Dirir did have some support within the Labour group and that another term was by no means guaranteed.
A separate vote will also take place to allow the next leader to be in place until the next local elections in 2020 and stop the annual uncertainty around the role of leader.
Current Cheshire crime commissioner Cllr David Keane, an ally of Cllr Dirir, is among those to have launched a failed challenge to Cllr O’Neill in recent times.
While Cllr Dan Price tried and failed last year.
Cllr Mike Hannon was the victim of the last challenge in 2016 as Cllr Friend was promoted to deputy.
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