Councillor Joe Cooney has stood down as Leader of Pendle Conservatives. Cllr Cooney, who has led the group for over 6 years, announced his decision to the group over the weekend.
In a statement Cllr Cooney said, "It’s been a great privilege to lead the Conservative Group for the last 6 years. In that time, we’ve made real progress, seeing our group number rise to its highest in decades. Alongside that, I had the real honour to serve as Council Leader for 3 years from 2012-2015, leading the Borough that I love.
Every group or organisation needs to stay fresh and sharp. For that to happen, there needs to be a change of leader. After 6 years, and great progress, I think now is the time for that change. I'll be staying an active member of the group and continuing my roles within the Council and on Colne Town Council, which I enjoy immensely. Now is the right time to hand over the reins."
Joe continued, "The arena of politics in Pendle is toxic, and has gotten worse over the last couple of years. Senior Councillors openly intimidate and bully members who dare to speak their minds or suggest an alternative view.
The personal attacks I've been subjected to by the likes of Cllr Tony Greaves are simply unacceptable. Despite repeated complaints to senior officers within the Council, no action, no support and no attempt to change the atmosphere within the council has been made. This has been a major contributing factor towards my decision to stand down. If we want to increase participation, particularly from more young people and a wider section of our communities, then we need to ensure we can debate issues without people’s appearance, mental state or ethics constantly being called into question."