Council leader quits before vote

John Hopkins says he will spend more time with his grandchildren

The leader of Blaenau Gwent Council has resigned after he was told he would face a vote of no confidence.

John Hopkins, who was Labour candidate at last year's Welsh assembly by-election in the area, said he would continue to serve as a councillor.

He claimed members of the council's Labour group told him he would face and lose a vote of no confidence at the next meeting.

A Welsh Labour spokesman said Mr Hopkins had delivered real results.

It leaves the council without its two top men after councillor Nigel Daniels was suspended from his position as deputy leader following a complaint to the ombudsman for Wales about alleged bullying.

John Hopkins has a record to be proud of. He has served the people of Blaenau Gwent with dignity, vision and strength A Welsh Labour spokesman

Keith Hayden, who is secretary of the local Labour group, said they would hold a special meeting to decide on a new leader.

Mr Hayden said he believed the vote of no confidence was due to a belief among some members that the council was making a lack of progress.

"I came as a councillor in 2004 and basically we were at quite a low ebb," he said, adding that the council was under the guidance of auditors.

"Since then we have come quite a long way and we have actually come out of administration with them and a lot of things have been recommended.

"John has taken us along that road with Nigel. They have done an excellent job but some of the people who are councillors there at the moment thought perhaps we weren't progressing fast enough, and this is why it came about."

Proud

He insisted the people of Blaenau Gwent would not be affected by the lack of leadership in the council.

"We have still got all the officers in place," he said.

"Any meetings that John was going to attend on behalf of Blaenau Gwent, we will make sure we have people there to represent the people of Blaenau Gwent."

A Welsh Labour spokesman said: "John Hopkins has a record to be proud of. He has served the people of Blaenau Gwent with dignity, vision and strength.

"John will be remembered as a council leader who delivered real results.

"He will leave office proud of delivering the new rail link and a massive redevelopment of the former steelworks site that will create hundreds of jobs and bring a new community hospital to Blaenau Gwent."