Disappointing results for the Conservatives at the May local elections saw the opposition parties seize control of Runnymede Borough Council ending our 26 year run in charge.
Labour, Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Thorpe Independents formed a coalition, calling themselves the Runnymede Council Alliance, but could not agree among them who should lead it. The result was an constitutionally questionable fudge where FOUR co-leaders were proposed.
The Conservative Group warned this would be unworkable, and suggested we would lend our votes to the Independent group leader Cllr Linda Gilham as Leader of the Council. When this was put to a vote coalition councillors voted it down, with the surreal moment of Gilham voting against herself.
The Council agreed that the four co-leaders would split four ways the remuneration previously provided to the Leader and Deputy Leader. But weeks later, the Labour and Independent co-leaders returned to the Council to demand a 120% rise in their allowances.
Labour group leader Cllr Robert King now receives his basic £5,500, plus £4,249 for being a co-leader and a further £11,330 as chair of the Corporate Management Committee, amounting to an annual allowance of £21,079.
Independent co-leader, Councillor Linda Gillham will get the basic plus £5,665 as the vice chair of Corporate Management Committee - for an annual total of £15,414.
Cllr John Furey (Conservative, Addlestone South) who led the borough from 2006 to 2011, summed up: "We have a new coalition that can’t do anything other than increase their allowances for the first two months. I find that embarrassing, absolutely embarrassing."
Conservatives are now the main opposition party at Runnymede with 12 seats and our job will be to hold the coalition to account on behalf of our residents.