Labour Party confirms councillor suspensions over Wakefield budget dissent

Jakob Williamson and Stan Bates defied the party whip and refused to support the Labour-run authority’s financial plan.

The budget for the 2025/26 financial year was approved at a meeting on March 3.

It included cutting around 270 jobs in a bid to make £29m of savings.

It also included a maximum 4.99% council tax rise as part of efforts to plug a £39.9m budget gap during the next financial year.

Coun Williamson, who represents Hemstitch, publicly criticised the party both locally and nationally in the council chamber, describing the budget as a “litany of broken promises.”

A Wakefield Labour group meeting was due to take place Monday (March 10) over the incident, with a recommendation that Coun Williamson be given an indefinite suspension.

Coun Bates, councillor for South Elmsall and South Kirkby, was suspended two weeks before the meeting over comments he made on social media in opposition to the proposals.

A Wakefield Labour group spokesperson said it had been notified that Coun Williamson has been suspended by the national party, pending investigation.

They added: “This follows on from a similar notification received regarding Coun Bates last week following their decision to vote against the proposed council budget.

“Coun Bates had also previously been suspended by the local Labour group for misconduct relating to social media posts prior to the budget meeting.

“It is regrettable that our colleagues have chosen to oppose the council budget, despite being present at the group meetings where the final proposals were agreed.

“Nor did they present any alternative proposals which would have balanced the budget, as the council is legally required to do.

“Ultimately, the action and investigation now being undertaken by the national Labour party supersedes any local disciplinary process and we are therefore unable to offer further comment on the process they are conducting at this time.”

Coun Bates told the Local Democracy Reporting Service last week: “In our poorest wards, such as Hemsworth, South Kirkby and South Elmsall we have the highest youth unemployment, lower incomes, poorer health and life expectancy.

“This budget won’t help or touch any of that. Another year of continuing meat slicer cuts to local services will make it harder for our most deprived families.

“It is a fact of public life and politics that poor people depend more on public services.

“Unfortunately, based on what I have seen and heard this year, next year we will be back again hearing about further efficiency savings and voluntary redundancies and our services will be reduced.”

Coun Williamson previously told budget meeting: “Our party promised change. An end to austerity and an end to council tax rises.

“That is what we all campaigned on during the general election.

“All of that has been reneged on today – £29m of savings is austerity.

“Yet again we are raising council tax by the maximum.

“We are expecting our residents to pay more every year for less.

“Some people may say they (Labour) have only been in a year.

“But I have no faith that things will get better.