Lib Dem Leadership Decision Expected To Be Announced on Saturday

Published on: 13 May, 2026
Updated on: 13 May, 2026

Cllr Paul Follows

By Martin Giles

With leadership of the Conservative opposition group in the new West Surrey Council settled, attention now turns to the election of a leader for the majority Liberal Democrat group, which will have overall control.

Councillors who were elected on Friday are forming a shadow authority that will operate in tandem with the existing county, borough and district councils for a year, after which they will wind up leaving the new West Surrey Council in sole control.

Whoever wins the Lib Dem group leadership election this week will almost certainly become the leader of the new shadow council. The convention normally followed is that the party with the most seats nominates a candidate for the council’s leadership and this is unopposed by the other parties.

Cllr Ann-Marie Barker

It is understood that with the deadline for nominations closed, there are only two candidates, Paul Follows, currently the Lib Dem group and opposition leader at Surrey County Council as well as leading Waverley Borough Council, and Anne-Marie Barker, leader of Woking Borough Council.

Voting is expected to be completed by the end of the week and the result announced on Saturday (May 16).

According to Lib Dem websites:

Paul Follows has lived in Surrey since 1993, including studying at the University of Surrey and he now works locally. He was elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor for Central and Ockford in 2017.

Ann-Marie Barker has represented Goldsworth Park on Woking Borough Council since 2016. She became leader of Woking council in 2022 when the current Liberal Democrat administration took over.