Reform UK has suspended councillor jo monk after she refused to accept the party group’s democratic decision, deepening a leadership row inside Worcestershire County Council.

Monk was removed as Reform UK group leader last month after fellow councillors voted to replace her with former Conservative MP Alan Amos. The party said she was suspended for “refusing to accept the democratic decision of the Reform UK group”.

The move leaves Monk in an unusual position. She is still formally leader of Worcestershire County Council, even though she has been kicked out as Reform’s group leader. Amos cannot take over as council leader until Thursday’s full meeting, when the council is due to decide whether to confirm the change.

Monk lost a vote among the party’s councillors in April, setting the stage for the later removal. Ashley Monk was also suspended for reportedly bringing the party into disrepute, and criticised the decision and the new leader on social media after the election.

Amos said he wanted to “be the first to thank Jo Monk for the hard work she’s done” and said the group had “inherited a mess from the Conservatives”.

The dispute matters because Reform is the largest group on Worcestershire County Council, but it does not have a majority. That makes the leadership question more than an internal party matter. It affects who can steer a council that needed £59.9m in emergency government help to avoid effective bankruptcy, after a period in which council tax went up 9% under Monk’s time in office.

Monk told the she would not comment until Thursday’s council meeting. For now, the party has changed its group leadership, but the council’s top job is still technically hers. Thursday will decide whether that gap closes.