Is the axe dangling over Mrs Bain?

I've posed the question here before about whether Sally Bain has proven to be the wisest choice for that most impossible of jobs, Cornwall Council's Cabinet Member for Children, and now those gossips at the Concrete Castle tell me that time may be running out for the fragrant Tory Councillor for Fowey.

Word reaches me that a group of Independent Councillors have drafted a letter to the Leader, Alec Robertson, calling for her replacement with someone who may actually have some idea of what they're supposed to be doing.

It's impossible to say how serious all of this is, or how many Indies are involved, but it wouldn't take too many of them breaking away from the ruling coalition to deprive the Conservatives of a working majority in the Council chamber.

The problem seems to stem from two disastrous performances at Full Council and Cabinet which have left many members from all sides questioning whether she has the right stuff to do the job. At Full Council earlier this month she fell into a neon-lit trap over the proposed closure of two North Cornwall primary schools, and a matter of days later faced much criticism for her over-reliance on Council officers when faced with one or two moderately taxing questions at Cabinet. There is a general impression that she has struggled to come to terms with the demands of the portfolio, particularly in the light of the recent Ofsted report into Children's Services in Cornwall.

This leaves Alec Robertson on the horns of a sticky dilemma or two. If he sacks Mrs Bain he'll keep the natives quiet and hold the coalition together for now, but he'll hand the Lib Dem opposition a golden opportunity to attack him over his judgement for appointing her in the first place, not to mention putting into question his loyalty to a long-term ally. However, if he stands by her he risks the administration being subjected to further ridicule in the run-up to the General Election and the possibility that an unknown number of the Tories' Independent coalition partners could start to flake away.

The best solution would probably be to split the portfolio in two, appointing someone to cover Education and another to deal with Children's Services. The trouble is, in a bid to spread the largesse as widely as possible when the administration formed back in June, Cllr Robertson appointed the full compliment of Cabinet Members (ten) allowed under the Council's constitution. Where they go from here is anyone's guess, but my money would be on the powers that be stumbling on and hoping the whole mess goes away. You heard it here first...