Central Beds Council chairman "sad and disappointed" in himself after forgetting to cast vital vote in leadership battle

Independent Flitwick councillor Gareth Mackey’s honest mistake allowed Independent Potton councillor Adam Zerny to be re-elected as Central Bedfordshire Council leader at an extraordinary full council meeting.

Only a fortnight earlier, councillor Zerny had tendered his resignation from the post to take effect from last night, (Thursday) assuming a replacement was appointed.

Without councillor Mackey’s vital support, Independent Biggleswade West councillor Hayley Whitaker was defeated by 14 votes to 13 in the leadership contest, restoring councillor Zerny to lead the authority by a one vote margin.

Responding to a request from the local democracy service for his thoughts about the vote, councillor Mackey said in a statement today: “In my role as chairman, I’ve always sought to be scrupulously fair and balanced.

“I take great pride in running meetings of CBC to the best of my ability and judgement, such that the business of the people can be conducted as effectively as possible.

“This role is, when done properly, one which takes concentration and attention to the nuances of the room. As such, I rarely vote to ensure I pay attention to any issues requiring my attention and remain generally unbiased.

“On such a big occasion, and in stressful circumstances, my entire concentration was taken up in trying to be fair to numerous interested groups. In doing so, I neglected to cast my own vote.

“Clearly, the consequence of this was that councillor Zerny won the vote. There are a number of scenarios which could have played out, including one where I’d have had a casting vote,” councillor Mackey explained.

“I don’t wish to dwell on ‘what ifs’, but rather wish councillor Zerny well in the job of uniting the council under difficult circumstances. I’m very sad councillor Whittaker hasn’t been given the opportunity to show her brand of a more inclusive and open approach, in which she would have excelled.

“All things considered, and while I am both sad and disappointed in myself, my integrity remains intact and I’ll continue to serve both the council and the people of Central Bedfordshire to the best of my ability.

“The people deserve representatives who acknowledge openly their own shortcomings and failures, and I do just that myself. I will do my part to ensure that the behaviours show our council in the best light possible.”

Councillor Zerny announced his decision to step aside on the day of the General Election, earlier this month, after being challenged for the leadership of CBC by councillor Whitaker. She was sacked subsequently from her executive roles.

Further resignations from the executive left councillor Zerny with little choice other than to stand down. He now faces the challenge of forming a new administration as soon as possible to end the recent turmoil within the Independent Network of councillors on CBC.