Why Jordan quit

More on the resignation of Councillor Peter Jordan as deputy leader of Boston Borough Council.
A statement from the borough said: "Councillor Peter Jordan has stepped down as Deputy Leader of Boston Borough Council and the new Deputy Leader will be Cabinet Member Councillor Brenda Owen.
"Leader of Boston Borough Council, Councillor Richard Austin has appointed Councillor Brenda Owen to the post of Deputy Leader of the Council – a post which will be noted at the next Full Council meeting. Councillor Jordan will remain on the Cabinet. "
Councillor Jordan said: 'I will be fully supporting the Council but felt I needed to spend more time focusing on my portfolio duties.
My stepping down from the Deputy Leader post is part of a reorganisation to provide more management capacity.
"Over recent weeks the workload caused by merged services has increased in frequency and volume. Most of these very important meetings call for the Leader and Deputy Leader to be present.
"I already have a large number of portfolios and three of these, Health and Safety, Human Resources and Risk are particularly onerous as they spread through every aspect of the Council's activities.
"This means I am finding inadequate time to fulfil all my duties to my satisfaction, in spite of a noticeable percentage of 12 hour days.
"I shall continue to fully support the Leader, Councillor Richard Austin and the new Deputy Leader in both of whom I have the utmost confidence. "
So, no pushing, and the usual loyalty oaths of the type made famous by Milo Minderbinder and Major --- de Coverley in Joseph Heller's legendary Catch 22.
Councillor Brenda Owen's portfolio is Housing, which was recently trashed by the Audit Commission who gave the service "nul points" and led to her response receiving the same from critics who described it as the worst case of spin from the borough that they had encountered since .... the last worst case of spin that they had encountered from the borough.
At one stage during yesterday's to-ing and fro-ing over the resignation, we understood there would be no announcement of a successor as the post of Deputy Leader was one that would need to be appointed by the full council.
But it now appears that "Papa" Dick Austin has resorted to type, named his successor, and expects his minnows to do as they're told at the next full council meeting, which appears to be an additional one slipped in for 20th July.
As we go to press, tributes to Councillor Jordan have resolutely failed to flood in.
The main mention of him we can find so far sums him up as something of a bully boy behind whose steely skirts the nominal leader has been cowering for quite some time - even to the point of sitting mutely back whilst his "deputy" answers questions in his stead.


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