‘We Are Not Forming a Coalition With Any Other Party’ Says Lib Dem Leader

Published on: 13 May, 2019
Updated on: 13 May, 2019

The Liberal Democrats, who won more seats than any other individual party at the borough council elections, will not form a coalition with any other party, their leader Caroline Reeves has announced this morning.

Speculation, apparently based on Cllr Reeves’ support for the Conservative’s Local Plan during the last council, seems to have provoked this morning’s statement which follows reports she was re-elected as leader of the Lib Dem Group unchallenged, on Saturday (May 11).

Cllr Caroline Reeves

Cllr Reeves said: “Guildford Liberal Democrats are of course very pleased to have increased their number of elected councillors from 8 to 17, all with strong majorities.

“We are in the process of establishing where the experience and interests of our newly elected councillors would be best placed in terms of working with the residents of the borough.

“We will announce our decisions shortly but, in the meantime, I can assure everyone that, in spite of the well-oiled rumour mill, we are not forming a coalition with any other party. We will, however, continue the current informal conversations with all other parties.”

Meanwhile, in a joint opinion piece from the leaders of the R4GV and GGG parties who shared an electoral pact so that they did not compete for votes, Joss Bigmore and Susan Parker have proposed a power-sharing agreement between their groups and the Lib Dems.

Negotiations will continue but there would appear to be a deadline of next Wednesday (May 15) when a new council leader will be elected and council appointments are due to be announced at a meeting of the full Guildford Borough Council.

Because the 17 Lib Dems could be outvoted by the 19 R4GV and GGG councillors, Cllr Reeves leadership bid will need support from other parties.

Responses to ‘We Are Not Forming a Coalition With Any Other Party’ Says Lib Dem Leader

Martin Elliott Reply

May 13, 2019 at 1:10 pm

Not quite the same as the good/bad old days of 1995 when Lib Dems actually controlled GBC but maybe 1999 when they lost overall control but remained the largest party.

Apart from routine decisions like Spectrum, does anybody remember significant policy moves and decisions affecting the borough that they made at that time?

I was living and working in the borough back them but don’t remember anything.
Chris Fox Reply

May 13, 2019 at 4:40 pm

There was for instance the Electric Theatre development where I signed the contracts just before an election to ensure the project could not be reversed by the Tories. A very happy day for the council and the borough.
Adam Aaronson Reply

May 13, 2019 at 5:38 pm

It very much sounds as if Councillor Reeves would rather be propped up by the Tories than work constructively with R4GV and GGG. Will all her colleagues toe the line? Or can we hope that some of them might show the independent spirit that used to be associated with LibDems?
Valerie Thompson Reply

May 15, 2019 at 4:54 pm

And what happened to the Electric Theatre under the Conservatives? All the donations and promises about it being a venue for amateur performers were thrown out of the window when a new lease was offered.

Let’s hope that Cllr Reeves does not make alliances, so that the R4GV and GGG and Greens could work together for the benefit of all the Borough.