Cornwall councillors are set to attend an extraordinary meeting of the full council next week to decide whether to support a motion to remove the council’s leader.

The meeting on Thursday April 8 has just one item on its agenda – a motion from Conservative group leader Linda Taylor to remove leader of the council Julian German.

Cllr Taylor had threatened to table the motion after calling for Cllr German to remove Adam Paynter as deputy leader of the council.

That request was made after the Liberal Democrats found that Cllr Paynter had brought the party into disrepute after he shared a confidential email sent to him by a colleague.

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Cllr Paynter had been prevented from taking office as a Lib Dem and standing for election for the party for 12 months after an internal investigation. However he says that he remains a member of the party and has appealed the decision.

But after the announcement from the Lib Dems it was revealed that Cllr Paynter had shifted to the Independent group and would retain his position in the council’s Cabinet.

Cllr Taylor wrote to Cllr German on March 22 asking him to remove Cllr Paynter from the Cabinet.

In her letter, which was also sent to all councillors and key council officers, she said: “It should have been clear to you as leader of the council that retaining him in his position was sending out totally the wrong message about standards of acceptable behaviour in Cornwall Council. This has further been compounded by your group’s arrangements to pervert the course of natural justice.

“Your inaction has brought the council into disrepute.

“The Conservative group will not stand by and allow this to remain unchallenged even at this stage in the council’s life. There can be no mitigation for bad behaviour at the most senior levels of our council however inconvenient the timing.

“The Conservative group have tabled a motion to remove you as leader of the cabinet if you continue to allow Cllr Paynter to remain in post.”

The motion put forward by Cllr Taylor has been seconded by fellow Conservative councillor Pauline Giles.

Under the council’s constitution such a request has to be signed by “no less than 41 members of the council”.

The motion has been signed by councillors Martyn Alvey, David Atherfold, John Bastin, David Biggs, Jeff Collins, Nick Craker, Gary Davis, Sharon Daw, Philip Desmonde, John Dyer, Barbara Ellenbroek, Simon Elliott, Jim Flashman, Mark Formosa, Tom French, David Harris, Adrian Harvey, John Herd, Barry Jordan, Alan Jewell, John Keeling, Sheila Lennox-Boyd, Mike McLening, Oliver Monk, Carol Mould, James Mustoe, Sue Nicholas, Jane Pascoe, Lionel Pascoe, Richard Pears, Richard Pugh, Richard Robinson, Jordan Rowse, Stephen Rushworth, Sally-Anne Saunders, Phil Seeva, Kevin Towill, Dulcie Tudor, Andy Virr and Peter Williams.

Should the motion be successful at next week’s meeting the council would then have to elect a new leader for the council.