Central Bedfordshire Council re-elects former leader

Ms Whitaker said she “never wanted to be leader but from her own personal perspective, somebody had to do it”.

She added it was “time to draw a line under this” but that she was not confident the “inappropriate behaviour” she claimed she had experienced would not happen again.

Another councillor, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC that the last few weeks “had been like something out of a mafia drama with rival families emerging and fighting everywhere”.

Central Bedfordshire Council was set up as a unitary authority in 2009 – replacing the county and district council set-up in the county and providing all the council services in its area.

For the first 14 years it was run by the Conservatives, but in May 2023 at the local elections, the party lost control, leaving no single part with a majority.

With 27 councillors, the Independent group was put in charge.

The next elections are due to take place in 2027.