LANCASHIRE County Council’s controversial Tory leader, Cllr Geoff Driver today survived a Labour move to oust him.

An opposition motion of no confidence in the Burnley born politician was defeated by45 votes to 34.

The debate was resumed following its abandonment last month after Independent Cllr Tony Jones became ill.

The Labour motion followed the authority’s cabinet agreeing a controversial senior management restructure which left its chief executive Jo Turton and four others facing redundancy.

Former county Labour leader County Cllr Jenny Mein said County Cllr Driver, currently on police bail as part of the One Connect investigation, had achieved his aim of creating a ‘power vacuum’ at the the council allowing him to take total control.

Opposition leader and Nelson East’s County Cllr Azhar Ali said County Cllr Driver had created ‘chaos’ at the council.

He said the management restructure was ‘shambolic’ and would cost the authority and its council taxpayers millions of pounds.

Cllr Andrew Gardiner, Tory representative for Heysham, defended the restructure as ‘essential to make the council fit for purpose’ to deliver the services resident needed.

The meeting also confirmed Angie Ridgwell, currently the county’s director general of corporate services to the new post of ‘interim chief executive and director of resources’.

Morecambe North’s Cllr Jones, who quit the Tory group after 32 years over Cllr Driver’s leadership, is understood to be recovering after his dramatic council chamber collapse.