Speculation Over GBC Executive Reshuffle As Housing Board Chairman Sacked

Published on: 30 Mar, 2018
Updated on: 30 Mar, 2018

The stepping down of Cllr Richard Billington (Con, Tillingbourne) from the Guidford Borough Council Executive, to take up his role as deputy mayor in May, will necessitate some reshuffling of the Executive members and there is speculation amongst councillors on how far the re-shuffle will go.

One clue may have been given by this week’s sacking by the Council Leader Paul Spooner (Con, South Ash & Tongham) of Cllr Tony Rooth (Con, Pilgrims) as the chair of the Housing Board. The Housing Board is one of three advisory boards set up to give backbenchers a greater role in council policy formulation.

Cllr Richard Billington will
have to step down from the
Executive to take up duties
as deputy mayor.

Last year Spooner sacked former council leader Rooth from the Executive where he had served as lead member for housing. Since his removal from the Executive, Cllr Rooth has, to the obvious discomfort of the leadership, felt free to speak his mind on several controversial issues including The Village and the link with the Chinese city of Dongying.

But his sacking as Housing Board chairman seemed to catch some Executive members, at their meeting on Tuesday (March 27, 2018), by surprise and the reluctance of the Executive members to voice agreement forced Cllr Spooner to ask for a show of hands.

Unfortunately, it could not be seen from the GBC webcast if any of the Executive members declined to support the decision. Cllr Spooner announced that he will replace Rooth with Cllr Philip Brooker (Con, Merrow) who, looking a little embarrassed, spoke of his appreciation of Cllr Rooth’s help and support.

It appeared that the decision might not have been fully discussed with all the Executive before the meeting and more than one councillor told The Guildford Dragon that with a re-shuffle in the offing members were less likely to go against the leader. Cllr Rooth had been told of the decision by email.

Introducing the agenda item Cllr Spooner had said: “This is a strategy change. We are looking at bringing together perhaps several groups into one under the Housing Board chairmanship and it is felt more appropriate that the lead member chairs that board.”

Cllr Tony Rooth

Appealing, before the vote was taken, for a reconsideration of the decision, Tony Rooth, who was present at the Executive meeting, said: “You [Cllr Spooner] kindly said then [ie the time of Rooth’s appointment as Housing Board chairman]: ‘Tony has great passion for the council and has immense experience … I want to reassure Tony that I think his passion and efforts at GBC are not at an end.’ ”

“I carried out the chairman’s role actively through board meetings to monitor and review housing delivery and direction. I also arranged visits to outside providers such as modular housing with Cllr Mike Parsons and housing associations.

Cllr Philip Brooker

“You said in May 2017 that the three boards should be chaired by members who are not lead members. The other two boards are chaired by non-executive members, Cllrs Jackson and Grubb.

“I have every respect for Cllr Brooker and I am very willing to help him with what is a very large and demanding portfolio as lead member including housing and environment. However, his appointment does not conform with the requirement that the chairman is not a lead member.

“I would also ask why I am being removed as chairman immediately when full council is only six weeks away – when the chairmanship for 2018/19 could be decided. There may be another backbench councillor willing and able to take on the chairmanship.

“Finally, I do not believe it is appropriate to inform me by email, with no previous discussion, of your decision. Therefore I ask you and the Executive to reconsider the recommendation to remove me as housing board chairman.”

Cllr Susan Parker

Cllr Susan Parker, also in attendance at the meeting, spoke to support Cllr Rooth. She said: “I have crossed swords with Cllr Rooth on planning matters on a number of occasions but I think that everybody must recognise his passion on the subject of housing, his competence and his knowledge and I’m rather surprised at this decision because I think that he has demonstrated, frequently and continuously his enormous capabilities in this area.

Cllr Spooner responded: Cllr Rooth, there is no question about your passion and your commitment to the task and it is a strategic direction and a strategic change that has been taken here. It is not a reflection of how much effort and passion you have put in… My personal hope is that you will continue to contribute going forward in a significant way.

Cllr Gordon Jackson

“I do expect there will be changes to the boards… not just the Housing Board, so this is not just related to the Housing Board but I thought a change sooner rather than later was important for moving forward the housing agenda, particularly with some of the issues we have with the Local Plan and the Local Plan Panel… is moving into the Housing Board.”

Cllr Spooner’s comments have been seen by some as increasing the possibility of a return to the Executive of Cllr Gordon Jackson (Con, Pirbright). He had to step down to become deputy mayor and mayor and could be seen as an appropriate replacement for Cllr Billington as lead member for rural economy, countryside, parks and leisure.

Cllr Nigel Manning

May will also see Cllr Nigel Manning (Con, Ash Vale) become available for Executive service again as he completes his mayoral stints. He was formerly a well regarded lead councillor for finance.

His replacement in that role, Cllr Michael Illman (Con, Shalford), is currently having to re-apply as a candidate for the 2019 borough council election. Both Illman and Rooth were deselected earlier this year but both successfully appealed against those decisions and now have to start the selection process again.

Responses to Speculation Over GBC Executive Reshuffle As Housing Board Chairman Sacked

Valerie Thompson Reply

March 30, 2018 at 6:13 pm

Why is the Executive solely made up of people who Mr Spooner appoints?

Surely a fairer and democratic approach would be to have a vote, by the councillors on the composition of the group.

Of course, as there is a preponderance of Conservative councillors, the end result might be much the same. But if the vote were secret, maybe some of the Conservative would show their disapproval for some of the Executive’s decisions over the past few years and actually vote in people they think might do a better job.
John Ferns Reply

March 30, 2018 at 9:16 pm

I did watch the Executive meeting webcast https://guildford.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/342556 as it unfolded, expecting the second of the two substantive items on the agenda to be controversial.

Sadly, I was not to be disappointed. The meeting lasted 17 minutes. Over half the time was taken up by item 2, a proposal to change the chairmanship of the Housing Board. Step down Cllr Rooth (a non-exec), stand up Cllr Brooker (an exec).

My wife and I have attended almost all planning committee meetings over the last three years, as Ash/Tongham residents and campaigners, and have witnessed Cllr Rooth’s passion for affordable housing.

For Cllr Rooth to be advised by email that he was to be ‘replaced’, I think is discourteous and falls short of the standard expected in GBC’s code of conduct /https://www.guildford.gov.uk/media/19685/Item-5-Code-of-Conduct/pdf/Part_501_-_Councillors_code_of_conduct.pdf specifically “clause 2.(1) You must treat others with respect”. And “clause 4. You must not conduct yourself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing your office or the Council into disrepute, or in a manner which is contrary to the Council’s duty to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by councillors and co-opted members.”

Then for the proposal not to be rubber stamped by the usual ‘voluble acclaim’ of the rest of the Executive, and to have to put it to the vote, receiving only five votes from Executive members present, speaks volumes.

Sub committees are useful opportunities to involve the wider membership, not least in GBC. How many of the Westminster parliamentary committees are chaired by and include members of the government? NONE. Only by excluding the Executive from sub-committees can effective scrutiny be exercised.

I hope this matter comes before the full Council at their next meeting, when I shall watch the proceedings with interest. And sadly, with bated breath.
John Williams Reply

April 1, 2018 at 6:32 pm

Spooner sacks leading housing councillor by email.

Trump sacks his Secretary of State by Twitter.

Looks very similar – two bosses who won’t accept others might have different views and don’t know how to properly treat colleagues.