A councillor has published a damning blog post accusing Wandsworth Council of ‘groupthink’ after he was sacked from the executive in the post-election reshuffle.
In a post titled ‘Sacked. Any job offers considered’ Councillor James Cousins wrote: "A smaller group needs a smaller exec, and by implication I wasn’t up to the job. I probably want to spend more time with my family, as well.”
Wandsworth Town Hall
Coun Cousins, who spent eight years on the executive, has accused the council of ‘groupthink’ where people do not think for themselves and instead take on the belief system of others.
The former cabinet member for economic development and business partnerships said: “It was fully expected. I have increasingly been out-of-line with the council’s groupthink.
“Nor will it come as a surprise to many that it is a blessed relief. I have not found these past few years on the council terribly happy, the past year in particular, when I found myself pushing through a policy with which I disagreed, was not a fun time for me in SW18.
"Of course, a lot of that unhappiness was of my own making. I chose inertia and I can’t pretend that the job didn’t have perks.”
Now Coun Cousins said he needs to focus on plugging an income hole and has the freedom to start being a more proactive ward councillor in Shaftsbury.”
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