A VOTE of no confidence is being prepared against Winchester City Council as civic chiefs who acted unlawfully over the Silver Hill scheme resist growing calls to step down.

Labour group leader Cllr Chris Pines intends to table the motion at a full council meeting on Thursday night.

Four city bosses – leader Rob Humby, deputy Victoria Weston, chief executive Simon Eden and corporate director Steve Tilbury – have this week defied calls to resign after a bombshell legal ruling threw the city centre development into turmoil.

MORE ON THE SILVER HILL RULING:
Wednesday's judgment: Winchester City Council acted unlawfully over Silver Hill
Council leaders defy calls to resign over High Court decision
Delay caused by ruling threatens council finances, budget meeting hears

In her judgment on Wednesday, Mrs Justice Lang said “radical changes” to the £165 million development had been allowed without putting the scheme out to tender, a breach of European procurement law.

Hampshire Chronicle:

The Silver Hill Four: Simon Eden, Cllr Rob Humby, Cllr Victoria Weston and Steve Tilbury

It is currently unclear precisely who, if anyone, will be named in Cllr Pines' motion. The vote will have to be accepted on the night as it will be a late item of business.

The Winchester Constituency Labour Party is calling for the entire cabinet to resign, along with Messrs Eden and Tilbury.

When approached by the Hampshire Chronicle this afternoon, Cllr Humby reiterated his intention to stay in his post, adding that he was away from work and had not checked his emails for details of the vote. He declined further comment.

The Labour group, which has three councillors, would have to rely on Liberal Democrat support to pass a motion. A bloc vote between the Lib Dems, Labour and the council’s two independent members would outnumber a united Conservative administration by 29 to 28.

The Liberal Democrat group will meet tomorrow morning to decide on their approach to Thursday’s crunch summit.

Cllr Kelsie Learney, group leader, said she expects “a variety of views” from Lib Dem members but urged a practical approach.

“As I said at cabinet, I think we need to get on and find the right solution and sort out what we’re going to do about the development, rather than slinging mud,” she told the Chronicle.

The decision presents political difficulties for the Lib Dems, whose own administration in 2003 agreed a nine-month exclusivity agreement with former developer Thornfield Properties, preventing other firms from moving in.

The ‘lock-out’ agreement, which has echoes of last year’s decision to approve changes without putting the scheme out to tender, later expired.

Hampshire Chronicle:

Labour group leader Cllr Chris Pines intends to table the no-confidence vote

Announcing plans to table the vote, Winchester Labour party chairman Peter Rees said: "The Silver Hill judgement is absolutely catastrophic for Winchester City Council.

“These members and officers have been responsible for the most damning and forensic condemnation of their processes and procedures regarding Silver Hill. They have consistently ignored the will of the people of Winchester, taken inadequate and inaccurate advice, failed to observe EU procurement regulations and used the planning process to approve a scheme that should have been resubmitted.

"Through their dereliction of duty, they have been responsible for the heavy toll on the public purse, finances that should have been used to improve living and working conditions for the less well-off in Winchester."