A VOTE of no confidence will take place this afternoon into the leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council a week after he tore up his Labour party membership.

Councillor George Dunning expects to be stripped of his role at this afternoon’s (Thursday, February 12) full council meeting.

The veteran Labour member was one of ten members who quit the party following an internal dispute with members of Labour’s Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Tom Blenkinsop and the party’s candidate for Redcar, Anna Turley.

Cllr Dunning was one of several senior members of the council who was not selected to represent the party in the May election, along with his deputy Sheelagh Clarke.

Earlier this week, deputy mayor Doreen Rudland joined the ranks of disgruntled members to have left Labour in a tumultuous two weeks for the council group.

The vote of no confidence has been tabled by the authority’s Liberal Democrat group.

As it stands the make-up of the council stands at Labour with 17 members; Liberal Democrats 11; Conservative 6; The Independent Group 13 and 12 Independent councillors.

Today’s meeting will more than likely result in a new leader being selected with just months to go before the council elections in May.