Green Party leaves Arun District Council's administration after call to end coalition by two MPs

Cllr Lury confirmed the change after two Conservative MPs called on him to end the council’s coalition with the Green Party.

Andrew Griffith, MP for Arundel and South Downs and Alison Griffiths, MP for Bognor and Littlehampton, wrote jointly to Cllr Lury urging him to end the arrangement.

It follows a vote at the Green Party’s national conference on October 4, which saw the party adopt a motion declaring that “Zionism is racism”.

In their letter, the MPs said: “Jewish residents living in Arun District deserve to know that the people running their council take antisemitism seriously.”

They said the Liberal Democrats’ commitment to standing against racism was difficult to accommodate with the council group continuing to share power with the Green Party.

The letter concluded by asking Cllr Lury to “end your coalition agreement with the Green Party and make clear that there is no place for individual councillors identifying themselves as Green Party elected representatives in positions in your coalition”.

Responding to the letter, Cllr Lury said his Green Party colleagues have made “a reassuring statement repudiating the ridiculous Green Party Conference motion and have been much-valued active members of The Alliance.”

He said: “The Greens have decided to step down from said Alliance and we will continue as a minority administration ensuring stability at Arun and I have to thank them for their valuable contribution over the last three and a half years.”

Green group leader Councillor Sue Wallsgrove said the decision followed the National Labour Executive Committee asking the local Labour group to end its working arrangement with the Greens.

She said: “We are very disappointed by National Labour’s decision to interfere in local politics especially when there have been good working relationships delivering for local people.

“The National Labour party demanded that local Labour parties sought public condemnation of the motion Zionism is Racism from our group. We provided statements that we had not supported nor voted for the motion.”

Cllr Wallsgrove said the Greens would continue to work constructively at Arun for residents.

She added: “It is important that Arun is not destabilised by a completely new administration run by the Conservatives, this would not be in the interest of our residents.”

Conservative group leader Cllr Shaun Gunner said he agreed with the MPs’ letter.

He said: “I absolute agree with everything they’ve written in that letter.”

He added: “They haven’t stepped down from the administration. They put out a statement to say they’re not in an alliance, but they’re retaining all their positions and they’re continuing to operate a power sharing arrangement with the Liberal Democrat and the Labour groups.”

Cllr Lury also defended the administration’s record, saying there had been “a sea change at Arun” since it took control of the council.

He said the administration had dealt with the £5.2 million deficit inherited from the previous Conservative administration and managed to produce a surplus this year.

The MPs’ letter came ahead of an Arun District full council meeting on Wednesday, November 11, where a motion of no confidence in the current administration was due to be considered.

Conservative councillors Shaun Gunner and Kier Greenway were due to bring forward the motion.

However, the motion was not reached after the meeting ran out of time. It is now expected to be considered at the council’s next full council meeting in January.