A three-party council coalition has crumbled in a matter of days leading to questions about its viability.

Swale council leader Tim Gibson told councillors yesterday that the area’s Labour Party had decided to lead the council on its own.

The authority, which has 47 elected representatives, has been run by a “rainbow coalition” of multiple parties since 2019.

Originally, that coalition comprised Labour, the Swale Independents, Greens and Lib Dems. After last year’s local elections, the Liberal Democrats were no longer involved.

But now, 15 Labour councillors hold the power.

The news follows the exit of the Green Party on Monday (December 16).

It accused Labour of “putting profit above people and the planet” following a controversial move to ask the government to intervene and stop Swale council from refusing plans for the 8,400-home estate of Highsted Park.

This came after KentOnline revealed that Kevin McKenna, the new Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, was one of the many who had written to the government to request the plans be “called in” and re-examined.

Then at around 2.40pm yesterday, a notice from council leader Cllr Gibson, seen by KentOnline, said: “The Labour Group have decided to operate as a minority administration going forward with immediate effect.”

In another statement about three hours later, the Roman ward councillor said that he and his party felt the cross-section of councillors was no longer “fair” following the exit of the Greens.

He said: “With the cooperation of other parties we would like to see the key chairmanships in the council shared across all groups based on their relative strengths, and not to confine those positions to only three parties.

“This is not a time for disappointment but a time to go forward, recognising that the coalition period has led to a better kind of politics.

“Over the last five years, the coalition has provided stability and change and we can go forward from that if all groups show mutual respect for our real role, to foster the community of Swale.

“With the ending of the coalition, we ask all leaders to work together now for the people of Swale at a time of great challenge to local government.”

Cllr Ashley Wise (Lab), who represents Kemsley, is the new deputy council leader.

The man in that role until yesterday, Borden and Grove Park representative Cllr Mike Baldock, told KentOnline his party “were pushed before we jumped".

The leader of the Swale Independents, which is now the biggest opposition group with 12 seats, pointed out that while relations between the two biggest parties have been strained for “more than a year” the Highsted Park decision was a “cutting point”.

He said: “Although we are now out of power it is a relief off my shoulders.

“We have remained in the coalition mainly out of duty and were looking to stay until after the budget meeting. But some of my councillors have wanted to leave for some time.

“The coalition has not functioned properly and we have not been able to achieve our goals due to being blocked by Labour.

“I do not know if it’s viable to run the council with just 15 councillors, especially if opposition parties now work together.”