A SECOND blow has been dealt for a veteran council leader, as members of his own party call for his resignation.

A motion was submitted by five of Slough’s Labour councillors, including the newly elected leader and deputy of the group - Cllr Sohail Munawar and Cllr Sabia Hussain - calling for current leader, Cllr Rob Anderson, to step down from his post.

The scathing recommendation, which was published on Wednesday, stated: “This council has lost confidence in the current leader of the council.”

It alleges Cllr Anderson has failed to protect vulnerable children and has not acknowledged accountability for the issue - as demonstrated through damning Ofsted reports; he has adopted an authoritarian control; and he fails to represent the majority of the ruling party on policy matters.

Cllr Anderson, who has lead the council for a total of 11 years since 2001, said: “It’s interesting that these people sat in our cabinet with collective responsibility for two years yet never raised any concerns.

“Leadership is about speaking out at the right time for the issue not waiting for an opportunity to use it for personal gain.”

Cllr Hussain, who joined the council in 2012, said she did raise concerns while a member of cabinet. She said: “The leader of the council is the decision maker and has full autonomy and power.”

She added: “Yeah I haven’t been involved very long in politics but that doesn’t mean I’m not ready for a challenge.”

She said the council remains committed to delivering its five-year-plan.

The news comes following the election of the Labour Group’s leader and deputy on Saturday May 7, which sparked controversy within the ruling party.

The motion will be discussed at an extraordinary meeting on Monday, June 6.

Despite this, cllr Anderson appointed the following as his cabinet along with the portfolios last week:

  • Finance and strategy – cllr Rob Anderson
  • Environment and Leisure – cllr Martin Carter
  • Transport and highways – cllr Pavitar Mann
  • Regulation and consumer protection – cllr Satpal Parmar
  • Housing and urban renewal – cllr James Swindlehurst
  • Health and social care – cllr Natasa Pantelic
  • Education and children’s services – cllr Mohammed Nazir
  • Digital transformation and customer care – cllr Nimrit Chohan