WORCESTERSHIRE County Council is set to get a new leader, after a vote on Friday evening.
Former Conservative Councillor Alan Amos won 15-10 against Coun Jo Monk in an internal leadership vote.
The group made the decision at its annual general meeting, where all 25 Reform county councillors had the chance to vote.
Coun Monk will remain as leader, until a full council meeting on May 14.
The deputy will be Coun Rob Wharton, who secured his position following a closely contested election decided by a single vote.
Coun Wharton previously served as Deputy to Coun Monk and will continue in that capacity under the new leadership.
Other parties have criticised the move, the most vocal being the Conservatives – the party Coun Monk and Amos previously belonged to.
Redditch Conservaties said Coun Monk had betrayed the town
“From raising your council tax, to cutting investment in the Redditch Train Station, Jo has lost sight of the people who put her there.
“The Reform group are in chaos, with 15 voting for a new leader and 10 supporting the old. Residents will now face weeks of internal fighting trying to line up a new cabinet and try and broker deals.
“Residents deserve better, they deserve a united group fighting for them. This is what happens when Reform run councils. Don’t let them do the same to Redditch.”
Coun Amos has served the public across the political spectrum, and started his career as Conservative MP in Northumberland in the late 1980s and early 90s.
He later became a Labour councillor in London and Worcester and then rejoined the Conservatives in 2015, only to quit the Tories a second time before joining Reform last year.
