Why could a council leader lose her job after just four months?

On 19 May, Labour's Tahmina Saleem was appointed as the new leader of Luton Borough Council, replacing Hazel Simmons who had been in charge since 2007.

So why is Saleem now facing a leadership challenge less than four months later - at an extraordinary meeting this Monday evening.

The BBC reviews the past six months.

In March, Simmons announced that she would be standing down as leader.

She described the decision as "not an easy one" and said she had "immense pride in what we have achieved together over the past 19 years".

She moved to Luton in 1984 and began her political career as a councillor on the authority in 1991, before becoming leader in 2007.

Simmons was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to local government and the community.

When she announced she was leaving the role, Simmons said she intended to remain a councillor.

At the authority's AGM in May, Saleem was named as Simmons' replacement.

Saleem became a Labour councillor in 2019 and in 2021 became portfolio holder for children, families and education, a year after the authority's children's social care services were ranked "inadequate" by Ofsted.

She served as mayor from 2024 to 2025 and after being appointed as leader told the BBC she only put herself forward as a candidate at the last minute.

"The interview was on my birthday and it was Ramadan, so I was quite relaxed," she said in May.

At the AGM, she confirmed that her executive team would include Rumi Chowdhury as portfolio holder for adult social care and public health.

Yet two months later, Chowdhury was one of six Labour councillors who chose to quit the party and sit as an independent, which left the authority under no overall control for the first time in 19 years.

The departed councillors included Javed Hussain, the former deputy leader, and Tom Shaw, who had been a Labour councillor in Luton for 42 years.

After the resignations, the councillors said: "Our opinion is that control of the Labour group is with the Eastern region Labour Party, so we have formed a group that will concentrate on the people of Luton and give back the democracy to them."

Rob Roche, one of the six councillors, later claimed he was driven to quit the party because Simmons had been "forced out" of her role as leader.

Roche said Simmons "was informed she must stand down [in March] but must do a statement resigning her post" by the regional party leadership.

"Members were offered a choice of two candidates for the position of leader and imposed only one candidate for deputy leader, despite applications from several group members for both positions including councillor Javed Hussain," he said.

Hussain had been Simmons' deputy, but was replaced when Saleem took over, becoming the ceremonial mayor instead.

A spokesperson for Labour East said: "While the Labour Party does not comment on internal processes, we can confirm there was a National Executive Committee led process earlier this year that was conducted in line with Labour Party policies and procedures."

The group of former Labour councillors formed an Independent Alliance with Khtija Malik (who left Labour in August 2025), boosting its numbers to seven on 18 August.

To add to the political musical chairs, Liberal Democrat David Franks (who was leader of the authority from 2003-07) left the party in August after 43 years and is currently a non-aligned independent.

Then on 1 September, Labour lost another councillor when Saima Hussain became a non-aligned independent.

On 3 September, opposition parties at Luton Borough Council joined forces to challenge Saleem's leadership, leading to an extraordinary meeting being scheduled for 14 September for councillors to vote on whether to remove her as leader and elect another councillor in her place.

Saleem said the no-confidence motion was "not what residents voted for" and added "Luton elected a Labour council, not chaos and individual egos".

She said councillors should let residents decide who represents them and she "fully intended to challenge this vote of no confidence".

Based on the numbers, Saleem may lose her position, as there are 13 Liberal Democrats, seven in the independent alliance group, plus three Conservatives and Saima Hussain is expected to support the motion too.

There are 21 Labour councillors who would be expected to vote for Saleem, plus independent Franks said he was inclined to vote against the challenge, adding: "I think the course being taken by my Lib Dem friends is a mistake and would be a decision taken in haste which they will regret at leisure".

This leaves former Conservative Stuart Miller and Reform UK non-aligned independent James Fletcher, who the BBC has approached for comment.

If Saleem was to lose, Amjid Ali will be nominated as the new leader of the authority, having led the Liberal Democrat group since 2024.

He said: "If the Liberal Democrats form an administration we will work constructively with councillors across the chamber to ensure essential council services continue without disruption and the council remains financially responsible and properly governed."

Whoever wins will not have long before the next local elections take place in Luton next May.

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