A longstanding Labour council leader has revealed he never received support from his party's leadership during his entire 22-year tenure.
Milan Radulovic, who quit the party today alongside 19 other Broxtowe Borough councillors, said: "Since 1995, when I first became leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, I've been leader for 22 years, not once in my entire political career has any member of the regional or national Labour Party come to me in my office and said, 'how can we help you deliver the programme that you're delivering?'"
Speaking on GB News, he called for direct dialogue with Labour leader Keir Starmer, stating: "Don't send us the diktats. Don't send us suspensions or other measures to keep us quiet."
The mass resignation has seen Labour lose control of Broxtowe Borough Council, with Radulovic ending his nearly 40-year tenure as a Labour councillor.
Twenty former Labour councillors, including Radulovic, will now sit under the banner of the new Broxtowe Independents group.
Speaking at an event in Beeston on Thursday, Radulovic accused Starmer of "abandoning the working class" in favour of "the Westminster elite".
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The veteran council leader warned that the country was moving closer to a "dictatorship" with power becoming increasingly concentrated in fewer hands.
The group claims around 100 grassroots Labour members in the area have also quit the party.
The resignations were triggered by several key issues with Labour's national policies.
The councillors specifically cited the decision to means-test winter fuel allowance and the denial of compensation to WASPI women.
"The majority of people in this country, particularly pensioners, have worked all their life in industries, the coal and steel industry in our area in particular," Radulovic told Nottinghamshire Live.
He added: "They worked damn hard, 50 years they've paid National Insurance contributions, and yet the burden of taxation always seems to fall on the poorest people in society."
The group also opposed Labour's plans to merge county and district councils into large unitary authorities.
The Broxtowe Independents will now run the council as a minority administration, requiring support from opposition groups to pass measures.
Six councillors remain in the Broxtowe Labour group, who expressed disappointment at the defections.
In a statement, the remaining Labour councillors said: "It is incredibly disappointing that some Broxtowe councillors have decided to leave the Labour Party and sit as independents when they were elected on a Labour ticket just over 18 months ago."
Both the Broxtowe Independents and the existing Broxtowe Independent Group have registered with the Electoral Commission to become official political parties.
A decision on both applications is expected by the end of January.
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Milan Radulovic, who quit the party today alongside 19 other Broxtowe Borough councillors, said: "Since 1995, when I first became leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, I've been leader for 22 years, not once in my entire political career has any member of the regional or national Labour Party come to me in my office and said, 'how can we help you deliver the programme that you're delivering?'"
Speaking on GB News, he called for direct dialogue with Labour leader Keir Starmer, stating: "Don't send us the diktats. Don't send us suspensions or other measures to keep us quiet."
The mass resignation has seen Labour lose control of Broxtowe Borough Council, with Radulovic ending his nearly 40-year tenure as a Labour councillor.
Twenty former Labour councillors, including Radulovic, will now sit under the banner of the new Broxtowe Independents group.
Speaking at an event in Beeston on Thursday, Radulovic accused Starmer of "abandoning the working class" in favour of "the Westminster elite".
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The veteran council leader warned that the country was moving closer to a "dictatorship" with power becoming increasingly concentrated in fewer hands.
The group claims around 100 grassroots Labour members in the area have also quit the party.
The resignations were triggered by several key issues with Labour's national policies.
The councillors specifically cited the decision to means-test winter fuel allowance and the denial of compensation to WASPI women.
"The majority of people in this country, particularly pensioners, have worked all their life in industries, the coal and steel industry in our area in particular," Radulovic told Nottinghamshire Live.
He added: "They worked damn hard, 50 years they've paid National Insurance contributions, and yet the burden of taxation always seems to fall on the poorest people in society."
The group also opposed Labour's plans to merge county and district councils into large unitary authorities.
The Broxtowe Independents will now run the council as a minority administration, requiring support from opposition groups to pass measures.
Six councillors remain in the Broxtowe Labour group, who expressed disappointment at the defections.
In a statement, the remaining Labour councillors said: "It is incredibly disappointing that some Broxtowe councillors have decided to leave the Labour Party and sit as independents when they were elected on a Labour ticket just over 18 months ago."
Both the Broxtowe Independents and the existing Broxtowe Independent Group have registered with the Electoral Commission to become official political parties.
A decision on both applications is expected by the end of January.
Find Out More...