2023 Guildford Borough Council election
The 2023 Guildford Borough Council election is scheduled to take place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Guildford Borough Council in England. This is on the same day as other local elections.[1]
Boundary Changes
The election will be contested on new ward boundaries, due to a periodic review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The council size will remain unchanged at 48 councillors.[2]
Background
There have been changes to the political make up of the council since the 2019 election. In the May 2021 local elections three by-elections were held simultaneously to fill vacancies on the council (two due to resignations, one due to the death of a councillor). However, each seat was won by the same party that won it at the 2019 election.[3] Subsequently, in November 2021, a Liberal Democrat councillor defected to the Conservatives, but defected from the Conservatives to sit as an Independent in July 2022.[4][5] A Conservative councillor died in May 2022 and the subsequent by-election was won by the Liberal Democrats.[6] This resulted in the Liberal Democrats having 17 councillors, the Conservatives having 8, and 1 Independent councillor. The composition of all other parties remained as at the May 2019 election.
Additionally, the sole Green party councillor chose to sit as part of the R4GV group on the council shortly after the May 2019 election, but continued to be a Green party councillor, before leaving the R4GV group in October 2022 to sit alone as a Green party councillor again.[7]
Going in to the election, the council administration consists of a Liberal Democrats and R4GV coalition, with the Conservatives forming the main opposition party.[8]
References
- ^ "Election Timetable in England". www.gov.uk. Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Guildford". www.lgbce.org.uk. Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "As It Happened: Tories Lose Four Guildford Seats But Retain County Council Control". Guildford Dragon. 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Shock Move at Millmead – Leading Lib Dem Councillor Defects to the Conservatives". Guildford Dragon. 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Former Lib Dem Councillor Now Quits from the Tories". Guildford Dragon. 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Guildford ward where The Holiday was filmed taken by Lib Dems off Tories". Get Surrey. 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Green Party Member Quits R4GV Group Because of Impending By-election". Guildford Dragon. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Guildford Borough Council leadership to 'rotate' between Lib Dems and R4GV following 'new agreement'". Get Surrey. 7 May 2020.
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