Three Rivers District Council held an Extraordinary Meeting on Monday, September 9, following the Liberal Democrats’ by-election blow.
On Thursday, August 22, a by-election for the Abbots Langley and Bedmond Ward saw the Lib Dems lose their majority on each committee, despite having the majority in May’s local elections.
This comes after councillor Matthew Bedford and his wife councillor Sara Bedford resigned in July, allowing Mr Bedford’s seat to be taken by Conservative candidate councillor Vicky Edwards.
With just 19 Lib Dem councillors and 20 other councillors, the Lib Dems no longer have enough votes on the committees to pass policy on their own. The Conservatives subsequently have more representatives on the Planning Committee, Policy and Resources Committees, Constitution Sub Committee, Local Plan Committee, and Equality Sub Committee.
During the meeting last month, Chorleywood North and Sarratt councillor Ciaran Reed said: “It has been a political choice, year after year, for the Liberal Democrat group to pay almost 40 per cent of those members twice the amount most of the rest of us get. And they’re now seeing the consequences.”
Councillor Stephen Giles Medhurst, Leader of TRDC, said: “The meeting was over in less than 30 minutes. All the same lead members and administration are in place and there were no votes against! And whilst of course we will not have an overall majority, as I have always done we will seek to have consensus on issues and changeless going forward and hope other groups will support that.”
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