Time Honourably Served or Had Enough – Councillors Who Are Standing Down

Published on: 5 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 7 Apr, 2019

There will be some changes to embrace at Guildford Borough Council after the May 2 election. In addition to the replacements caused by electoral success or failure, in a contest unusually difficult to predict, nearly 20% of the existing 48 councillors are expected to be standing down.

Cllrs David Reeve, Matt Sarti and Jenny Wicks

Among them are the three councillors currently representing Clandon & Horsley: David Reeve (GGG), and Matt Sarti (Con) after only one term and Jenny Wicks (Con) who has served on the council since 1995, service likely to be recognised. Another GGG councillor, Mike Hurdle, elected in 2015, is standing down in Send.

All of them have crossed swords with the Conservative leadership over the Local Plan while David Reeve, widely viewed as a man of integrity, had to endure a formal complaints hearing many felt was disproportionate.

Two further Conservative councillors have been deselected or withdrawn in advance of the selection process Iseult Roche (Worplesdon) the lead councillor for Community Health, Wellbeing, and Project Aspire, and the largely absent, recently, Michael Illman (Shalford).

Additionally, the Independent Nils Christiansen (Holy Trinity) who resigned from the Tory group in February, following deselection by the Guildford Conservative Association last year, is not standing.

Cllrs Nils Christiansen, Michael Illman and Iseult Roche

Cllr Murray Grubb

In Ash Wharf, former lead councillor Murray Grubb is stepping down and fellow Conservative Andrew Gomm is standing.

Cllr Gomm has been representing South Ash & Tongham where he lives but for reasons not divulged has given way there to allow the candidature of former Ash Residents’ Association chairman, Graham Eyre.

Cllr Tony Phillips

In Onslow, Lib Dem Tony Phillips is calling it a day after 36 years. Something his constituents might feel deserves recognition.

In the north Guildford ward of Stoke Angela Gunning (Lab) was coy when interviewed by The Guildford Dragon in October, refusing to say if she was to stand again. But yesterday’s published list of nominations shows that she has decided to carry on.

Added to that are the three councillors who will be standing as Independents, having quit their former parties, Bob McShee (Worplesdon), Tony Rooth (Pilgrims), both former Conservatives, and Colin Cross (Lovelace) who was formerly Lib Dem. Two Conservative councillors have decided to switch wards, Alexandra Chesterfield, for reasons that are unclear, from Friary & St Nicolas to, what she probably feels is a safer bet, Holy Trinity and Dennis Paul from Holy Trinity to Worplesdon, where he lives.

Standing down: 5 Conservatives, 1 Liberal Democrat, 1 Independent and 2 from the Guildford Greenbelt Group.