THE leader of Southampton City Council has insisted: “I’m the boss” after his top public servant scrambled to dismiss his vision to privatise vital council services.

A memo from chief executive Brad Roynon also revealed a split among the city’s Tory hierarchy who denounced their leader’s controversial proposals.

Councillor Alec Samuels last night said he had been given no warning that the email was being sent to business leaders, volunteer groups and council workers.

He insisted: “Mr Roynon may say what he likes, but I can only say that all statements of political policy rests with the leader of the council and his political colleagues in the Cabinet.

He added: “Only the leader and the members of the Cabinet can speak with any authority on the political policy of the council.”

He said the chief executive and his staff should act on the instructions of political masters and is understood to have made his point clear to Mr Roynon and his communications chief Liz Kite.

Cllr Samuels sparked anger when he said in a website article he would consider bringing in private companies to run the city’s bin collection and crematorium.

He added his administration wanted to outsource, externalise and privatise services “wherever possible and sensible" for “ideological reasons”.

Mr Roynon and two Cabinet members hit back saying there were no plans “at the moment” to privatise the services identified.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, Cabinet member for resources, said the article was “not an accurate reflection of the administration’s current thinking”.

Matt Dean added he wasn’t talking to any companies about the future of bin collection or crematoriums.

Cllr Samuels admitted the article was not intended to go public but said: “I do not shrink from it.”

“There is nothing in my statement that does not reflect the current policy of the Conservative administration.”

Cllr Samuels now faces calls to resign as leader after being publicly undermined.

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Jill Baston said: “This is now verging on the farcical.

The Conservative ruling group is in complete disarray.

“Two Cabinet members have now been forced to deny what their own leader publicly stated. Cllr Samuels should reconsider his position as leader.”

Labour city MP Alan Whitehead said: “The chief executive appears to have been put in a very difficult position of having, presumably at the request of other members of the Cabinet, to send out an e-mail that repudiates Cllr Samuels’ article.”

“It is unprecedented for such a statement to consist of what appears to be a disagreement between members of the Conservative administration on what the council should do.”

Cllr Samuels said: “As far as I know, I still have the confidence of the group.

“If I don’t, then I don’t doubt they will immediately say so.”

Unions have already warned of ballots and strikes if the council ever moves to privatise services.