Conservatives lose control of last borough council

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is one of 11 lower tier councils in Surrey

Surrey's last district and borough council with a Conservative majority has gone to no overall control.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, one of 11 lower tier councils in Surrey, had a Conservative majority of one after 2023's local elections.

But with Councillor Zelanie Cooper, who represents Lower Kingswood, Tadworth and Walton, stepping away from the Conservatives, the council is left without a majority party.

The Surrey Conservatives have been contacted for comment.

Ms Cooper said she had left the party over concerns about candidate selection, meaning the Conservatives now have 22 of 45 councillors.

She said: "With the support of a significant number of local residents, who believe that local councillors should represent them in local elections, I have chosen to step away from the Conservative Party."

She will stand as an independent councillor at the next local election on 2 May, when one third of councillors will be up for election.

Surrey County Council still has a Conservative majority and all 11 Members of Parliament for Surrey represent the Conservative Party.

They include Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in South West Surrey and Michael Gove in Surrey Heath, the Secretary of State for levelling up, housing and communities.

Surrey's two tier system means the responsibilities for different services lie with either the county or the district and borough councils.

A Reigate & Banstead Borough Council spokesperson said any decision needed regarding political balance of the council would be taken at the next full council meeting on 28 March.

Elsewhere in Surrey, at May 2023's elections the Liberal Democrats took control of Guildford and Surrey Heath and increased the majorities they already had at Woking and Mole Valley.

Other councils are run by residents' parties or as coalitions between parties, while Runnymede Borough Council is led by a Conservative, who have 19 of the 41 seats.

Analysis

By Jack Fiehn, BBC Radio Surrey political reporter

The political control at Reigate & Banstead could change soon, either following a council meeting at the end of March or the local elections at the beginning of May.

For example, at the elections, the Conservatives could make the gains they need to retake overall control. Or they could lose seats, altering the calculation again.

But it is worth taking a moment to mark the contrast in the Tories' fortunes.

As recently as 2015, the party had majorities on and ran 10 out of 11 of the borough or district councils in Surrey (Epsom & Ewell being the exception).

Now it is only Reigate & Banstead and Runnymede where they are still the main force.

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