A Newcastle Liberal councillor says his Labor colleagues "only have themselves to blame" after staff were terminated from Beresfield pool.
The Newcastle Herald reported on October 12 that Labor councillors wanted an explanation after 12 casual staff were reportedly sacked following the City of Newcastle CEO's decision to appoint a private contractor to manage Beresfield pool.
Liberal councillor Callum Pull said if the Labor bloc wants "to know why this has happened, they don't need to look any further than how they voted at our ordinary council meeting in May."
All seven Labor councillors declared conflicts of interest in the May decision to award a tender to manage the city's five inland pools, meaning the decision was deferred to the CEO as a quorum could not be reached.
"Labor councillors are now calling for an explanation into the consequences of their own actions," Cr Pull said.
"They alone voted to delegate this matter to the CEO, and later refused to rescind it.
"This outcome could have been avoided and the decision could have been resolved by the remaining councillors."
"For Labor councillors to now complain about this and complain about not being informed after they washed their hands of the matter and handed what should have been a council decision to the CEO is absurd."
"Good leaders do not refuse to make a decision, delegate it to staff and then complain about the decision the staff make."
The Labor councillors, which include lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes, deputy lord mayor Declan Clausen, Peta Winney-Baartz, Carol Duncan, Margaret Wood, Deahnna Richardson and Elizabeth Adamczyk, responded with a statement saying "Beresfield Pool has been protected in perpetuity by Labor Councillors, enshrined via multiple resolutions to council, and a long term pool strategy".
"The suggestion that a minority of the chamber could resolve this matter is a re-writing of history from Callum Pull, and not allowed for in law or process," the Labor statement said.
They have previously stated the Independent Commission Against Corruption "endorsed" their decision to declare conflicts in the pools matter.
The Labor bloc also returned fire at Cr Pull.
"Callum Pull has never made his position clear on pools," the councillors' statement said. "What is his position?"
Cr Pull replied saying "once again, their questions are absurd".
"Labor councillors denied the elected council the opportunity to discuss the pools tender," he said.
"They denied councillors the opportunity to make their views heard, and now they're complaining that they don't know how we would have voted.
"I supported a rescission motion so this could be decided by the council. Labor councillors refused to allow that to happen."
