Leadership – the battle has commenced!

Following Council Leader Councillor Alan Taylor’s decision to stand down due to ill health the battle to replace him as local Lib Dem Leader and Leader of the Council has begun in earnest.

Rochdale Online understands that a number of Liberal Democrat councillors are canvassing support in order to assess the risk of throwing their hats into the ring.

Considered certainties to contest are Deputy Leader Councillor Irene Davidson, Finance Portfolio Holder Councillor Greg Couzens and Regeneration Portfolio Holder Councillor Mohammad Sharif.

Maybes are Adult Care Portfolio Holder Councillor Dale Mulgrew and a surprising mention was made of former cabinet member Councillor William Hobhouse.

Lots of wheeling and dealing is going on behind the scenes and Nick Clegg’s visit to Rochdale yesterday gave those considering contesting an ideal opportunity to canvass support from colleagues and members gathered at the Town Hall.

Insiders consider Councillor Davidson to be a “safe pair of hands” but suggest that nothing much would change from the way Councillor Taylor led the party and the groundswell appears to be there needs to “be a change”.

Councillor Couzens is considered to have the “business acumen” and a man the other two parties could “work with” but having only been a councillor for two years there is concern he is “still a little wet behind the ears”.

Councillor Sharif is “well respected in his own community” and it is thought electing him as leader could “win us more of the Asian vote”.

It is thought that Councillor Mulgrew will concentrate on “the bigger fish he has to fry” (he is a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate) but will most likely seek to “team up” with a leadership candidate to try and “take the deputy leadership”.

Councillor William Hobhouse, having been ousted from the Cabinet in 2008, is the surprise name being put forward, he was said by colleagues to be “the brightest of the bunch” but it is doubted he could command enough support to have a realistic chance due to the past controversy he has been embroiled in within the party and his “forthright manner” in party meetings.