Cllr Sue Sands, a Labour councillor on Norwich City Council, has been removed as a Cabinet Member after taking on a role as governor of the Norwich Free School, which is opening in September.
Cllr Steve Morphew, leader of Norwich City Council, said:
“In the light of Sue’s decision to accept the role of vice-chairman of governors for the Norwich Free School it has been agreed that this would make it too difficult for her to be seen to speak for the administration on matters that involved schools and children without being perceived as having a conflict of interest.Sue has therefore relinquished her role as cabinet member for wellbeing with immediate effect. At this stage of the civic year we intend to leave the position vacant and redistribute the current workload among other cabinet members until May.”
Cllr Morphew adds that the decision was "consensual" and "amicable." In a pig's eye. The decision stinks of ideological hostility to free schools. I suspect most councillors in the country are also school governors. They have to declare it from time to time but it cretainly doesn't stop them being Cabinet Members – even of being Cabinet Members in charge of schools
In any case Cllr Sands was the "Cabinet Member for Wellbeing." God only knows what that covered. But one thing it didn't mean was that she was responsible for schools in the city.
As Norwich City Council's website admits:
Norfolk County Council is responsible for education and schools in the Norwich area.