TORY LEADER'S VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN HIS CABINET

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 9th Oct 2008

Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council, has by-passed his fellow cabinet members and given himself responsibility for education, in a reshuffle of responsibility for children's issues. In what has become a troubled portfolio, Lord Hanningfield is the fourth education cabinet member at the county council in as many years. The council's education performance was so severely criticised last year by Ofsted inspectors, that its overall star rating was downgraded from 4 to 3.

Speaking about the appointment, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, leader of the county's Liberal Democrat group said: "In many ways this is an astonishing appointment. To run through three education cabinet members is careless enough, but to have to give the job to himself is hardly a vote of confidence in any of the other members of the cabinet.

"It is especially odd considering the enormous workload that Lord Hanningfield already has, not just as leader of one of the largest county councils in the country, but also as a frontbench spokesman for the Conservative party in the House of Lords. His Lordship has admitted that he is taking on about 50% of the education related portfolios which is a significant extra burden.

"Perhaps as Lord Hanningfield is unlikely to fire himself, this was the only way that the Conservatives could find to stop losing education cabinet members! We must hope he can deliver on the job."

ENDS