The leader of UKIP in Great Yarmouth said she was “disappointed” her party had been snubbed in favour of non-elected representatives on a raft of borough council appointments.
Kay Grey accused the Labour and Conservative parties of forming an “alliance” after all the positions on the borough council’s outside bodies were taken by their councillors, or lay people.
Seats for some bodies were given to former Tory and Labour councillors, in preference to the UKIP councillor nominee.
Mrs Grey vented her frustration after the proposals were passed on Tuesday at the council’s first full meeting since last month’s elections, which left no party in overall control.
UKIP – which claimed 10 of the 13 seats available in the elections – had nominated councillors to sit on several outside groups, including Yarmouth Preservation Trust, Yarmouth in Bloom and the Port Authority.
Mrs Grey said: “We have 25pc of the councillors and I do feel we have the right to be on some of the outside bodies.
“It’s obvious the Conservatives and Labour parties have formed some sort of alliance with each other despite claims to the press they would do what’s best for the borough. How can it be best for the borough to block 25pc of elected councillors?”
Speaking after the meeting she added: “I can’t say it came as a surprise, I’m just a bit disappointed. They’re not recognising us and still think it’s a two-party system.
“They have got to learn to accept we’re not going away for four years.”
Labour leader of the council Trevor Wainwright refuted any claims of an alliance and said there had been no deals between his party and the Tories, adding that historically the positions on outside bodies had gone to the ruling parties.
Labour has 15 seats on the council while the Conservatives have 14.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Wainwright said: “Anyone can nominate anyone, you haven’t necessarily got to be a councillor.
“The reason [the vote was proposed] was purely because these outside bodies are very important to the borough and what they need is experienced councillors. When I first got on the council in 2002 I wasn’t on any outside bodies for six or seven years.”
Graham Plant, Tory leader and also shadow cabinet leader, echoed Mr Wainwright’s sentiments and said while there would always be a difference between his party and Labour, in the case of outside bodies the two had voted for the “most experienced councillors”.
He added as UKIP “develops over the year” he was sure they would have a chance to sit on outside groups.
The cabinet, shadow cabinet, committee members and the authority’s new leader and deputy leader were also appointed at the meeting.
Mr Wainwright was voted to remain as leader while Brian Walker was appointed his deputy.
NOMINATIONS FOR OUTSIDE BODIES (* = appointed):
Norfolk Road Committee - Cllr Robinson-Payne*
St Nicholas Church Preservation Trust - Cllr Hacon*, Cllr Connell
Norfolk County Joint Museums Committee - Cllr Robinson-Payne*, Cllr Cutting, Cllr Connell
Lydia Eva and Minicarlo Charitable Trust - Cllr Robinson-Payne*
Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust - Cllr B Coleman*, Cllr Jeal*, Cllr M Coleman*, Cllr Robinson-Payne*, Cllr Williamson*, Cllr Grey, Cllr Cutting
Norfolk Archaeological Unit Advisory Committee - Cllr Robinson-Payne*, Cllr Cutting
Local Government Association;
General Assembly - Cllr Wainwright*
Urban Commission - Cllr Pratt*
Rural Commission - Cllr Walker*
Coastal Issues - Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr Andrews
Norfolk Branch - Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr Walker*
East of England LGA - Cllr Wainwright*
Great Yarmouth Marketing Initiative - Cllr Collins*
Community Rail Partnership - Mr M Taylor*
Norfolk Rail Policy Group - Mr M Taylor
A47 Alliance - Cllr Plant*, Cllr Annison
Community Association Management Committees;
Church Lane - Cllr Fairhead*, Cllr Wright*, Cllr Grey
Newtown - Mrs P Carpenter*, Cllr Jones
South Yarmouth - Mrs V Pettit*, Cllr Robinson-Payne*
Claydon Pavilion - Mrs C Walker*, Cllr Williamson*, Cllr Rodwell
Norfolk Centre for Independent Life - Cllr M Coleman*
James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust - Cllr Walker*
Norfolk Health Scrutiny Committee - Cllr Weymouth*
Norwich and Norfolk Racial Equality Council - Cllr Williamson*
Norfolk Waste Partnership - Cllr Pratt*
Great Yarmouth in Bloom - Cllr Hacon*, Cllr Shrimplin*, Cllr Rodwell
Norfolk Arts Forum Steering Committee - Cllr Jeal*
SeaChange Board - Cllr Pratt*, Cllr Stenhouse
Great Yarmouth Sport and Leisure Trust - Cllr Plant*, Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr Williamson*, Cllr Shrimplin
Active Norfolk Board - Cllr Hacon*, Cllr Jones
Great Yarmouth Sports Council - Christine Horne*, Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr M Thompson*
Great Yarmouth Sports Partnership - Cllr Wainwright*
Lynn Grove Football Pitch Management Committee - Cllr Plant*
Norfolk Playing Fields Association - Cllr Wainwright*
Bowls Tournament Working Party - Cllr Fairhead*, Cllr Collins*
Broads Internal Drainage Board - Cllr M Coleman*, Cllr Jermany*, Cllr Shrimplin*, Cllr D Thompson*, Cllr Weymouth*, Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr Andrews
Broads Authority - Cllr Jermany*, Cllr Andrews
Norfolk Coast Partnership - Cllr Shrimplin*
Waveney, Lower Yare and Lothingland Internal Drainage Board - Cllr Hacon*, Cllr Plant*, Cllr Williamson* Cllr Jones, Cllr Andrews
Great Yarmouth Strategic Planning and Transportation Working Group - Cllr Plant*, Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr Williamson*
Town Centre Company (Great Yarmouth) Limited - Cllr Collins*
Community Safety (Great Yarmouth) Limited - Cllr Peck*, Cllr Annison
Chamber of Commerce (Yarmouth committee) - Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr Plant*
Car Parking Strategy Steering Group - Cllr Plant*, Cllr Jeal*, Cllr Walker
Norfolk Parking Partnership Joint Committee - Cllr Jeal*
Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London Adjudication Joint Committee - Cllr Jeal*
Great Yarmouth Seaman’s Trust - Cllr Pettit*, Cllr D Thompson*, Cllr Wainwright*
Gorleston Poor Land Trustees - Mrs C Walker*, Mr B Watts*, Cllr Wright*, Cllr Grey
First Move Furnishaid - Ms P Page*, Mrs V Pettit*, Cllr Pratt*
Great Yarmouth Community Trust - Cllr Peck*
Great Yarmouth Municipal Charities - Cllr Field* Cllr Jeal* Cllr Linden* Cllr Robinson-Payne*
Norfolk and Suffolk Energy Alliance - Cllr Plant*
High School Foundation - Cllr Robinson-Payne*
Great Yarmouth Tourist Authority - Cllr Jeal*, Cllr B Coleman*, Cllr Collins*, Cllr Reynolds*, Cllr Walker*, Cllr Bird
British Resorts Association - Cllr Jeal*, Cllr Bird
East Anglian Tourist Board - Cllr Jeal*, Cllr Bird
Broads Tourism Forum - Cllr Jeal*, Cllr Bird
Great Yarmouth Racecourse - Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr Shrimplin*, Cllr Grey, Cllr Stenhouse
Great Yarmouth Port Authority - Cllr Plant*, Cllr Jeal*, Cllr Myers, Cllr Andrews
Enterprise Zone Working Group - Cllr Plant*, Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr B Coleman*
Neighbourhood Management Boards;
South Yarmouth - Cllr Field*, Mrs V Pettit*
Make It Happen (Southtown, Cobholm and Halfway House) - Cllr Linden*, Cllr Williamson*, Cllr Connell
MESH (Gorleston) - Cllr Pratt*, Cllr Blyth*
Health and Wellbeing Board - Cllr Linden*
Police and Crime Panel - Cllr Wainwright*, Cllr Connell
East Anglia Port Welfare Committee - Mrs V Pettit*
St George’s Trust - Cllr Wainwright*
Nelson Museum Management Board - Cllr Jeal*, Cllr Robinson-Payne*, Cllr Connell
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