New council leader installed after no- confidence vote

A Surrey borough council has chosen to replace its leader months before the council's abolition next spring.

Spelthorne Group councillor Joanne Sexton will now lead Spelthorne Borough Council until next April, replacing Greg Neall who faced a no-confidence motion on Thursday.

Sexton, who previously led the council from May 2023 to May 2026, will be in charge until it is absorbed into the newly formed West Surrey Council, created as part of local government reorganisation reforms.

The no-confidence motion was tabled by another former council leader, John Boughtflower, who sought to return to the post following Neall's removal from office.

Opening the debate, Boughtflower said: "We voted in the current leadership with high hopes, but this has quickly faded."

The former council leader attacked Neall over ongoing asset sales amid the authority's precarious financial picture, saying "we just don't have the confidence".

He added: "With some major challenges left, I'm not filled with any confidence. We need to get the last part of this council right before it moves to West Surrey."

Neall defended his tenure, having led the council since May, by citing housing targets, morale among service teams and the performance of planning officers and said there was "plenty of evidence" his leadership had been successful.

Deputy leader Chris Bateson blasted the no-confidence motion as an "act of self-indulgence by the opposition", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Members ultimately voted to remove Neall from leadership, with 12 votes in favour of a motion to declare no confidence, nine against, and 12 abstentions.

Members ultimately voted to remove Neall from leadership, with 12 votes in favour of a motion to declare no confidence, nine against, and 12 abstentions.

Spelthorne has seen a high turnover of council leaders over the past decade, with 10 different councillors having held the role since 2011.

Spelthorne is currently overseen by government-appointed commissioners, who were brought in last year to close the council's budget gaps after it amassed significant debts.

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