Ripon City Council appears to be imploding. 

The last two weeks have seen the leader and deputy leader resign, the mayor fall on her sword and her successor face a public vote of no confidence three days after being elected.

The staffing committee is being dissolved, three of four council staff have left and legal threats are in the air.

The city’s famous ancient charms are in danger of being replaced by modern grudges, some of which appear to be layered on top of still-raw divisions over the cathedral annexe plans.

The third extraordinary council meeting in 11 days will be held at 5pm tonight (September 26) and, if it’s anything like the last two, expect walk-outs, insults and a thoroughly toxic atmosphere.

City and county councillor Andrew Williams, who has been Ripon’s dominant political figure in recent years, won't be there.

Cllr Williams says he is unable to attend due to family commitments, and questions whether the timing of the meeting was a deliberate attempt to keep people away.

We invited Cllr Williams to respond to comments by new mayor Cllr Barbara Brodigan that Ripon had been “badly let down” by the city council’s previous leadership.

Cllr Williams said: “I don’t wish to respond because her remarks on Monday evening were pathetic.”

But he had plenty to say on the wider situation facing Ripon.

Cllr Brodigan said “GDPR and employment law” prevented details of why former mayor Cllr Jackie Crozier faced a vote of no confidence being released and has pledged to lead “the most open and accessible council that Ripon has ever seen”.

Cllr Williams says councillors could have discussed confidential matters in private session and the removal of the mayor was part of a plan to seize control. “The only way to achieve what they wanted was to come up with a load of baloney,” he said.

Political rivals

There is a wider political element to this: Cllrs Brodigan and Williams are also Ripon's two North Yorkshire councillors as well as city councillors. 

Cllr Brodigan is a Liberal Democrat; Cllr Williams was elected as an Independent but recently joined the Conservative Party and is now a member of the Conservative and Independents group at Northallerton. He is seen as being close — too close for some — to the Tory leadership of North Yorkshire Council.

What impact his loss of leadership in Ripon will have on its plans to take control of the town hall, Hugh Ripley Hall and the Wakeman’s House Café from North Yorkshire Council remains to be seen.

Asked if she could work with Cllr Williams, Cllr Brodigan said on Monday: “As a councillor, I will have to. Simple as that. Can he work with me? I hope so.”

Could he? “How does Barbara reasonably expect us to work together when she has issued the statement she did on Monday night?” he replies.

Cllr Williams told Monday’s meeting it would be unlawful to accept Cllr Crozier’s resignation as mayor because she had not put it in writing. He says the former mayor, who has missed the last two extraordinary meetings, is due to return from holiday soon, adding:

“I believe Cllr Crozier, on her return, may email the monitoring officer at North Yorkshire Council saying she had not formally tendered her resignation and therefore Monday’s actions were premature.”

It’s difficult to see how such deep divisions can be healed before the next city council elections in May 2027. Ripon households pay, on average, £80 a year of their council tax towards the city council and must be wondering whether it's worth it.

Despite no longer being leader, Cllr Williams says he has no intention of resigning.

“Ripon is in my blood and this is not doing Ripon any good. That’s what really upsets me. The optics are dreadful. My greatest concern is we will put people off standing for election.” 

Tonight's town hall meeting is unlikely to stem the bad blood. But what happens next is anyone's guess.