Spelthorne Council Leader: Joanne Sexton Back After Vote

Councillor Joanne Sexton is the Leader of Spelthorne Borough Council again, five months after she lost the job.

Councillors elected her at an extraordinary meeting on Thursday night, 22 October. It followed votes of no confidence in the previous leadership, the council said in its announcement the next day.

Councillor Chris Bateson, a Liberal Democrat, was elected Deputy Leader. He held the same post under the outgoing Leader, Councillor Greg Neall, also a Liberal Democrat.

Not the result the motion asked for

The meeting was called to debate a single Conservative motion. As we reported before the vote, it sought no confidence in both Councillor Neall and Councillor Bateson. It proposed two Conservatives in their place:

• Councillor John Boughtflower, leader of the Conservative group, as Leader
• Councillor Matthew Lee, the group’s deputy leader, as Deputy Leader

That is set out in the meeting agenda.

Neither became Leader or Deputy. The Leader’s job went instead to Councillor Sexton, who leads the Independent Spelthorne Group and represents Ashford East. Councillor Bateson stays on as Deputy, despite being named in the no-confidence motion.

Updated 29 October: the council’s announcement did not give the vote numbers, and the minutes have not yet been published. The council’s recording of the meeting has them, as read out in the chamber:

• No confidence in the Leader and Deputy Leader: carried by 12 votes to nine, with 12 abstentions
• The amendment naming Councillor Sexton and Councillor Bateson: carried by 16 votes to 11, with six abstentions
• The final motion appointing them: carried by 15 votes to 11, with seven abstentions

Back after five months

Councillor Sexton led the council until the annual meeting on 20 May. That night Councillor Neall beat her for the job by 18 votes to 10, with five abstentions, according to the minutes of the meeting. Nine Conservatives voted for him then, alongside nine Liberal Democrats.

No group holds a majority on the 39-seat council. The councillors register lists 14 Conservatives, 11 Liberal Democrats, six Labour councillors, six in the Independent Spelthorne Group and two unaffiliated independents. The Independent Spelthorne Group is the joint smallest of the four groups.

What the new Leader said

Councillor Sexton said in the announcement: “We have five months left as a sovereign authority, and it is important that we make the most of the time we have.”

She added: “Our focus must be on making meaningful progress for residents, delivering on our priorities and leaving a legacy we can all be proud of as we move towards West Surrey Council.”

Spelthorne is due to be replaced by the new West Surrey council.

What it means for you

• Day-to-day services carry on as before. Bins, council tax and benefits are run by council staff, whoever leads.
• The new leadership runs the council’s final months. That covers the run-up to West Surrey, which is already consulting on a single council tax reduction scheme until 3 December.
• You can watch the meeting. The council has published a recording of Thursday’s meetings on YouTube.
• Your ward councillors and their contact details are on the councillors register.