Councillor Julian Brazil, Leader of the Liberal Democrat (Lib Dems) group at Devon County Council, wants all of the Councillors at the authority to have a voice.
Following last Thursday’s local elections, Devon County Council was left under no single party control. Of the 60 seats, the Lib Dems won the most with 27, but that left them just short of the 31 seats needed to gain overall control.
Reform UK, new to the council, won 18 seats; the Conservative Party – seven seats; Green Party – six; Independents – two; with the Labour Party now having no seats on the council.
The results represent a significant change at County Hall, where the Conservatives had been in control since 2009.
Councillor Brazil, who has been voted as group Leader by the newly elected Lib Dem councillors at Devon County Council, also wants to see change in the services provided by the authority.
He said: “The mood music I’m getting from our group is that we don’t want a formal sharing agreement among parties, and I support that. If we’re making the right decisions members should vote with us. It’s a new way of doing politics, but it’s a much more mature and developed way of doing things. If we have compromise among 60 members we will make better decisions for the Council.
“I want councillors to vote for what’s best for their community; that leads to better decisions and a better council. Everyone should feel they have a voice and have the opportunity to be influential – that’s the culture I want to engender here at the County Council. It’s good to have a mix of views and beliefs to be truly representative of the communities we serve.
“The County Council needs to be more outward looking and work more closely with partners. Children in Devon have been failed for too long, we have got to get that right, and potholes affect us all, we need to find a better way to repair roads but for less.”
Councillor Michael Fife Cook, speaking on behalf of the Reform UK group, agreed that cooperation among councillors is vital for the county. He said: “I don’t see us as opposition. We have been elected and people will expect us to work together for the good of the county. We can’t force through change, it will have to be by compromise, but good ideas can come from anywhere and that’s how we have a constructive council. Councillors aren’t just representing those who voted for them but their whole community so we are representing Devon.”
Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Leader of the Green and Independent group, said: “We are delighted that our group of Green Councillors has grown to six and we expect to have the opportunity to drive a stronger greener agenda through cooperation with fellow Councillors from all parties and Independents. We hope for better democracy and a brighter future for all our residents.”
Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Leader of the Conservative group, said: “I welcome the comments made by Councillor Brazil, after all we have been elected to put the interests of the residents of Devon first and to make a difference to people’s lives. If we can all work together for the good of Devon that has to be a good thing. Rural counties like Devon face unique issues that need to be recognised nationally, and we must all work together to ensure we receive adequate funding to address them.”
At the Full Council meeting on Thursday 22 May, Councillors will decide who takes up the positions of Leader, Deputy Leader, Cabinet Members, appointments to committees, as well as the roles of Chairman and Vice Chairman.