New Waverley Council To Be ‘An Assembly of Talents’

Published on: 23 May, 2019
Updated on: 23 May, 2019

Waverley Borough Council executive from left to right, front row: Cllr Anne-Marie Rosoman, Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Paul Follows, Leader of the Council, Cllr John Ward, Cllr David Beaman

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

Waverley Borough Council is now in the hands of Farnham Residents and the Liberal Democrats. The two groups have formed an alliance to lead the council after the Conservative hold was trashed in the May local elections.

A packed public gallery watched on Tuesday as Cllr John Ward, Farnham Residents, was elected council leader with Lib Dem Cllr Paul Follows as deputy leader. Their names were the only ones put forward.

They have now formed an “assembly of talent” for their executive, including members from Farnham Residents, Lib Dems, Labour and the Green Party. Cllr Ward said the Conservatives were offered places on the executive.

The Conservatives lost their majority, numbers falling by 26 to 23 members. Farnham Residents hold 15 seats, Lib Dems have 14, Labour and Green Party two and one Independent. This left the council in no overall control.

Cllr Ward said the local elections had resulted in a “seismic shift” for politics in the borough, adding: “This is new territory for us all.”

The Farnham Residents and Lib Dems have formed an administration, Cllr Ward saying they were not going to rush into things and wanted to work in a “measured” way.

He said the council would be run in a “committee-oriented” way and they would form an “assembly of all talents” with councillors.

Cllr Mary Foryszewski took over as borough mayor from Denise Le Gal, with Cllr Dr Penny Marriott holding the office of deputy mayor for 2019/20.

The Executive includes: