THE city’s Greens want to “force” Labour and Conservative councillors to work together ahead of a vote on who will be the next council leader.

Cllr Louis Stephen, the Green group leader on Worcester City Council, has said his party are uninterested in who holds the position of leader as the whole council should be working together in the interests of the city.

And ahead of a vote on Tuesday which will determine who will take the top jobs at the city council, Cllr Stephen said he wants to see a rule change which would “force” Labour and Conservative councillors to work together and claimed its committee system rendered the position of leader largely irrelevant.

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“The council operates under a committee system, which means that decisions are made by councillors not by council leaders, and yet Labour and the Conservatives are arguing over who gets the title of leader,” he said.

“Who gets to have the title of leader means very little to the Green Party.

“Our solution is simple - we’ve asked them to work together and we’re looking at changing the council rules to force them to cooperate and do what’s in our constituents’ best interest. That means you, me and our neighbours.”

Two gains for the Greens in the local elections on May 5 sees the party move to six councillors on Worcester City Council with the Conservatives on 15, Labour on 12 and the Lib Dems on two.

Cllr Stephen said he would be voting in favour of having joint leaders when the city council meets in full at the Guildhall on Tuesday (May 17) so both the Conservatives and Labour would not feel “disappointed” at being made a “junior partner” in deputy roles.

A request from Labour to form an alliance was rejected by the Greens last week.

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“We’re hoping that the parties will act in your best interest and agree to have joint leaders,” he said. “But if they are unwilling to put you and your neighbours above their party politics, we may be left with a council based on minority leadership.

“That means a council that will struggle to fulfil your needs.”