Liberal Democrats will support the vote to remove Cllr George Finch as Warwickshire County Council (WCC) leader next week.

Green Party leader Cllr Jonathan Chilvers will table the move at next week's full council meeting, citing a range of criticism over the young leader's eight months in charge.

"Attacks on officers" and partner organisations including Warwickshire Police, "breaches of confidentiality" and his defiance of the will of council after losing votes that asked him to withdraw his letter to the government on home-to-school transport and the redeclaration of a climate emergency, have all be raised.

The Reform UK councillor has labelled the vote of no confidence as a "political stunt".

But with the Reform group only having 19 of the 57 seats at Shire Hall, the vote could go through if the other parties unite together.

In a statement today, the Lib Dems have said WCC needs a "competent and experienced leader" who will be "trusted and respected" to lead.

They say this action is needed to "stand up for the best interests of Warwickshire residents", for communities across the county, for the council's relationships with its partners and to protect staff.

The Lib Dems have the second-most councillors at Shire Hall with 14.

Group leader Cllr Jerry Roodhouse said: "Residents expect their council to be accountable, respectful and focused on delivering real improvements to local services.

"Unfortunately, we believe the current leadership has fallen far short of those standards.

"Supporting this proposal is about ensuring the increasing serious concerns over the way Warwickshire County Council is being led are put on record and that action is taken to change how the Council is led through the challenges it faces. 

"Cllr Finch's public comments about 'boots on the neck of staff' were symptomatic of a cavalier approach to leading the council and were completely unacceptable. It's not about political point scoring."

Vote of no confidence

Ahead of next week's full council meeting, Cllr Chilvers said Cllr Finch has "abused the office of leader time and again".

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "His repeated attacks on staff, partner institutions and use of his role for constant, cheap and nasty political point scoring is unacceptable.

"That violation of law, democratic norms and basic decency leaves us as Greens unable to continue to stand by and let our British democracy get attacked and Warwickshire undermined.

"As recently as January he said he wanted boots on the necks of officers – he had the opportunity to back down on that but instead he doubled down. Attacking council officers, who of course cannot reply, is a trend that started last July when he facilitated an attack on the chief executive (Monica Fogarty).

"He asked the chief constable (of Warwickshire Police, Alex Franklin-Smith) to resign when he already knew he was stepping down, that was a deeply cynical move. He has also attacked district and borough councils, refusing to retract those comments."

Finch's comments

Following the announcement of the vote of no confidence vote, the Reform group released a media statement.

It accused the Greens of a "political stunt" which is "not about about improving Warwickshire" and does not offer "any serious alternative".

"We have already passed our budget and have also put forward our draft council plan through cabinet, ready for engagement with the public.," it said.

"This administration has a direction, a programme for government and a clear focus on delivery.

"Those trying to remove me have offered no alternative council plan and no credible answer to what replaces the work already underway.

"What is especially revealing is that the Greens and Liberal Democrats appear to be so obsessed with removing me as leader of the council that they are now willing to line up on the same side as Restore Britain councillors in pursuit of that goal.

"Residents can see what this is. It is not a serious alternative administration. It is an anti-Reform bloc held together by opposition to this administration and the change Warwickshire voted for – and by very little else.

"Warwickshire does not need a coalition of chaos between the Liberal Democrats, Greens, Labour and Restore Britain. It needs stable leadership, a clear direction and an administration focused on delivery.

"I was elected to lead this council and that is exactly what I will continue to do."