Havant Borough Council run by a new coalition following shock local election results

The newly voted in Havant Borough Council leader, Labour’s Philip Munday (St Faith’s and Havant), said it’s all about working together, trust and robust debate after the Conservatives lost control of the council in this month’s local elections. The council had been under Conservative majority control since 2002.On being elected leader Cllr Munday said: “I am honoured, proud and humbled to be standing here.”

He then referred to the feisty start of the meeting between members and said: “I think it’s important for us all to realise we are not just playing games, we are here to do things for our residents.”

He recognised the members who had worked hard and were no longer part of the council. He said: “We should all respect each other, we are all trying to make a contribution and we are all trying to make things better.”

“This will be a different administration – the first change in 25 years and we hope to do things slightly differently and we hope and expect to make some improvements. We will make some mistakes at times and we will trip and be told we’ve done things wrong. But it will be done in the right spirit to create a better council where there is robust debate of a high quality.

“We look forward to working with all councillors and officers to make Havant a better place to live. That’s our job and that’s what we will all do.”

ALSO READ: Huge shock at Havant Borough Council election results

There was robust debate at the beginning of the meeting where Conservative councillor Neil Bowdell (Cowplain) l said: “I wasn’t planning on speaking but I feel I have been goaded into it. We are still the largest party and we recorded the most votes across the whole borough.

“Labour only fielded 15 candidates and if all of Labour had been elected they still would not have held the council on their own. We need to say to residents that it just goes to show, if you vote Liberal you get Labour, if you Labour you get Liberal. If you vote Green, we shall see.”

The council coalition is made up of ten Labour, seven Liberal Democrats and four Green Party councillors which means with 21 councillors out of 36 they have control of the council which serves Havant, Waterlooville, Hayling Island and Emsworth. Havant Borough Council now only has 13 Conservative members after the party haemorrhaged 17 seats in the elections. There are also two from Reform UK.

The full breakdown of the new coalition cabinet is as follows:

• Leader of the council and cabinet lead for corporate strategy, performance, and external relations: Councillor Phillip Munday (Lab, St Faith’s and Havant)
• Deputy leader of the council and cabinet lead for finance: Councillor Philippa Gray (Lib Dem, Bedhampton)
• Cabinet lead for environment and water quality: Councillor Grainne Rason (Green, Emsworth)
• Cabinet lead for housing: Councillor Amy Redsull (Lab, Leigh West)
• Cabinet lead for commercial: Councillor Paul Gray (Lib Dem, Hayling West)
• Cabinet lead for regeneration and communities: Councillor Gillian Harris (Lab, St Faith’s)
• Cabinet lead for place: Councillor Richard Brown (Lab, Leigh Park Hermitage)
• Assistant cabinet lead for climate, coastal and green spaces: Councillor Netty Shepherd (Green, Hayling East)
• Assistant cabinet lead for thriving Waterlooville: Councillor Antonia Harrison (Lib Dem, Purbrook)