Trouble ahead as Jordan quits?

At the weekend we broke the news that Councillor Peter Jordan has resigned from something - but the question is what?
Two blogs by local councillors are commenting on the story.
One, by Councillor Raymond Singleton-McGuire* says that Councillor Jordan has resigned as deputy leader of the party.
The other from, felllow Tory Councillor Myles Larrington** initially thought that the resignation was as deputy leader of the council, but now says many people remain unsure.
The overwhelming number of e-mails to Boston Eye say he has quit as deputy leader of the council.
So far there is no suggestion that any resignation includes his role as a councillor, which would of course spark a by-election in the town's North Ward.
But if he stays on, we wonder how comfortable he will be as a "backbencher" after two years just a heartbeat away from the presidency, so to speak.
Councillor Jordan's entry on the borough council website only mentions his deputy leader status, and thinking back, we cannot recall any references to a deputy leader of the Bypass Independent Party - unless of course the role is a tandem one, with the deputy of one being the deputy of both. And of course the resignation from one role would mean the resignation from both.
Councillor Jordan has had a controversial time over the past couple of years, tending to shoot from the lip rather than from the hip on countless occasions - with his most recent outburst being the suggestion that the council was on the brink of bankruptcy. Shortly before that, we were reminded of his "bedmates" speech when the demise of Modus Developments saw the Merchants Quay plan sail off into the sunset. And who can forget the famous "We are the BBI. We walk on water" address?
By all accounts, Councillor Jordan has never topped the popularity stakes with many fellow councillors at Worst Street, although within the BBI there's no shortage for nominations as the party's Billy no mates.
But the speculation now is: did he go or was he pushed?
Pushed seems to be the favourite as the gossip gains momentum, though again the majority view suspects that his departure will be described with the usual BBI-wash as being made on health grounds.
Why pushed?
There was the mysterious case of the unscheduled cabinet meeting, at which Councillor Richard Dungworth was appointed to substitute as deputy when necessary, which must have meant that the deputy leadership was an issue some days ago.
But Councillor Larrington outlines another theory on his blog.
He reminds us that opposition groups are currently rejecting any chair or vice chairmanships of council committees and groups, due to a lack of trust between the BBI and opposition members after the BBI refused to allow Better Boston Group Councillors Anne Dorrian and Brian Rush any Chair or Vice Chairmanships, and tried to bar them from any committees.
"As such, this lack of trust has put considerable pressure on to many normally inactive members of the BBI, who now find themselves having to foot the majority of the committee work. Councillor Jordan was one those who consistently attempted to exclude members of the Better Boston Group from the proceedings of the council. Perhaps BBI members were unhappy with his uncompromising position and may have come to the conclusion that Better Boston Group members can do no harm chair or vice chairing committees, as the BBI will still make up the majority of members. They may have not liked the additional workload created by this situation, so could this be the cause of Councillor Jordan’s resignation?"
We also wonder where all this now leaves the Council Leader, Richard Austin. His leadership has seen problem after problem for the BBI, starting with internal arguments, dismissals and defections, and more recently the voters rejection of his candidacy for a county council seat. He has now lost his deputy, whom many think has papered over some of the cracks in his leadership. Such a change could see opinion in the rank and file BBI fancying a totally new leadership, and there is talk in some quarters that an internal power wrangle may well be underway.
We e-mailed Councillor Jordan for a comment, but are not holding our breath.

*http://www.smgblog.co.uk/
**http://myleslarrington.wordpress.com/

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