COUNCILLOR Fran Oborski is no longer deputy leader of Wyre Forest District Council following 'disagreements' with the progressive alliance.

This afternoon (Wednesday, January 20), council leader Graham Ballinger announced he has decided to "terminate" the appointment of councillor Oborski as deputy leader and cabinet member for economic regeneration, planning and capital investments.

Councillor Oborski says there was previously a "dispute" about a post she put on Facebook about the change in allocation to a proposed traveller site of land at the former Burlish Golf Course. She has also spoken about her disagreement over the council budget, including the "harmful" proposal to remove the £1000 per councillor Community Leadership Fund.

Councillor Oborski said: "I've felt increasingly unhappy with some of the things the council has proposed to save money.

"You've got to be able in politics to live with yourself. I have to be able to say I've voted with my conscience.

"In a way I am glad that councillor Ballinger has acted as he has; he has really only brought forward by a very few weeks a split that was bound to happen.

"It had already become abundantly clear that as Liberal Democrat’s, my colleagues councillor Alan Totty and Councillor Shazu Miah and I could not possibly vote for the budget being proposed.

"It may be that in the next few years the Wyre Forest Community Lottery will indeed expand so as to make the Leadership Fund redundant but that time has not yet come.

"From now on the Liberal Democrat Group will form a small but effective opposition to what is increasingly a Health Concern Administration."

She added that she is still happy to fulfill her role as a councillor and will be standing in the local election in May.

Councillor Helen Dyke will now take over the role if deputy leader and cabinet member for economic regeneration, planning and capital investments with immediate effect.

Councillor Ballinger said: “I would like to thank councillor Oborski for her service as a member of my cabinet and for the contribution that she has made to its work since May 2019.

"I will review the structure and membership of the Cabinet and make a further announcement in due course.

“I am delighted that councillor Helen Dyke has agreed to serve as deputy leader and to take on a new portfolio within the cabinet. This will build on her passion for town centres, drawing on her long experience of the retail industry in Kidderminster and elsewhere.

"Councillor Dyke will retain her lead role on localism while I will take on the remainder of her previous portfolio of culture, leisure and community protection on a temporary basis during my review of the cabinet structure and membership.”

Wyre Forest District Council has said they will not be issuing any further statement at this time.