What is happening to the much-vaunted Conservative leadership of the District Council? The party appears to limp from crisis to crisis. First we had the Forest Blues, now apparently defunct, followed by various defections and a sudden reduction in Cabinet numbers. Two of the defectors have recently crept back into the Conservative fold but Cllr Marion Winship, the previous Leader of the Council, has now herself resigned from the party following an acrimonious meeting to appoint members to a Scrutiny Task Group committee convened to examine better ways of scrutinising the council.

According to some who were present the behaviour of various members was unacceptable. Cllr Winship was eventually elected chairman of the committee by a vote of 4–3 against the nomination of another Conservative. The defeated candidate announced that he could not work under the new chairman and resigned from the committee in a pique. Opposition to Cllr Winship's election was also shown by others. The upshot of this is that Cllr Winship has now joined with two other councillors to form the Non-Political Alliance.  

There are several questions arising from this scenario that are of concern.

Can the public have confidence in a scrutinising task group that turns in on itself rather than on the problems that are facing the council?

Why was another Conservative nominated to stand against a candidate from the same party?

Why did the solicitor not intervene when the defeated candidate made his criticisms of Cllr Winship? Why, indeed, did one Cabinet member suddenly resign his portfolio last month? This has never been properly explained.

There would seem to be at least a fluttering in the Conservative dovecotes. As the members of the new Non-Political Alliance originally stood under the Conservative flag, the public deserves to know what is wrong with the Conservative leadership.

For this is what it must come down to. If the crew of a ship is unhappy then it is the captain who is at fault. This captain, or Leader, appeared very pleased with himself at the last Cabinet meeting but this confidence in his own ability is not apparently shared by other members of his party.

As the Leader has been briefing for a continuation of the present system of government after next May's election, then it behoves him to demonstrate leadership or face a possible palace coup. Already there are rumours that several Conservatives will not be standing again in May – at least not for the same party. 

The public will be watching as this soap opera unfolds, will be waiting for next May and will be voting accordingly. Conservatives may rightly wish to ask what on earth is going on.

– Dr Daphne Pearson, Tinman's Green, Redbrook.