New leadership announced
The Sedgemoor Labour Group held an emergency meeting on Wednesday night. This followed the surprise resignation of Diogo Rodrigues as leader of the group last week. Mr Rodrigues also left the Labour Party and now sits as an independent on Sedgemoor District Council.
Having tried to take a different path with Mr Rodrigues, a much younger politician, it was perhaps no surprise this time the party has reverted to two its leading local leading figures.
Westover councillors Brian Smedley and Kathy Pearce were elected unanimously as Leader and Deputy Leader. They are also respectively Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Group on Bridgwater Town Council.
Brian Smedley said after the meeting “It’s an honour to take on this great responsibility. Despite the state of politics nationally, the day-to-day business of being a councillor is helping to run the town and trying to improve things for its people. Obviously, we condemn anti-semitism and racism in any form, but this is nothing to do with our work and the great challenges and opportunities ahead. What is important is our economy, the environment and our communities.”