Call for Pembroke not to stand as Chairman of Suffolk CC

Cllr Jeremy Pembroke

As well as libraries the meeting of Suffolk County Council today will appoint Deborah Cadman as its new CEO or "Head of Paid Service" as local government jargon calls the post. Pretty much the whole county of Suffolk will be hoping that this finally draws a line under the Andrea Hill debacle that took up much of 2011.

But there does seem to be one loose end left. Jeremy Pembroke. The former Leader of the County Council who "retired early" earlier this year and who's judgement in both appointing and supporting Andrea Hill continues to be questioned. He has now gone back to the Tory backbenches and announced he intends to retire from the Council at the next elections in May 2013 and that would be that except for the fact he looks likely to be elected as Chairman of the Council in May 2012.

He is currently the Vice-Chairman, having been elected to this post as some kind of "consolation prize" for stepping down as Leader. Convention has it that the Vice-Chairman is elected as Chairman for the next municipal year. So we can expect Pembroke to be Chairman of Suffolk CC from May 2012.

Ipswich Spy comments on this today:

Whilst Suffolk County Council hopes that the appointment of Ms Cadman will end the questions about Mrs Hill, it remains true that many of the Conservative councillors running the council failed to ask the right questions. The Vice Chairman, and likely Chairman next year, is the former leader Jeremy Pembroke, and many remain incensed that he has been rewarded for his role in appointing this woman. 

Ipswich Spy believes that Cllr Pembroke should do the decent thing and announce that he will not accept the nomination as Chairman of the Council if offered it. He should not be rewarded with this coveted and respected office because of his role in what will become known as the “Scandal of THAT woman”.

I agree and think it would be in the best interests of the people of Suffolk and of all the political parties for us to be able to draw a line today under this issue today. The only way to do this completely is for Jeremy Pembroke to announce he won't stand as Chairman next year.