At last night's Annual General Meeting the Council voted in a new leader and administration for Forest of Dean District Council
The local elections took place on 4th May 2023 and no political party gained an overall majority. A total of 20 of the 38 seats are required to form a majority and no one individual party reached this number.
The split of councillors by party following the election was:
- Green 15
- Independent/Undefined 11
- Labour 5
- Conservative 4
- Liberal Democrat 3
The Green Party members have now agreed to form a new administration to run the Council.
The new Council Leader is Councillor Mark Topping. There will be two Deputy Leaders of the Council, with Councillor Andy Moore and Councillor Jackie Fraser elected to these roles.
Further details as to Cabinet Members and their portfolios will be announced in due course.
Councillor Mark Topping, the new Leader of Forest of Dean District Council, said;
“I am incredibly excited to be Leader at Forest of Dean District Council and to start work on forming a new Cabinet.
“We have ambitious plans for the district and will be starting work straight away with officers to set the priorities for this administration and deliver on behalf of all the residents, communities and businesses in the Forest.
“We have already agreed on the areas we will be focusing on, including our work to tackle the climate emergency, improving health and wellbeing, keeping our communities safe and clean, helping the local economy, tackling inequality and creating the right Local Plan for our communities.
“I am confident that together we will be able to achieve great things for the area we all love, while also providing the council services we all expect.”
A new chair for the Council was also voted in at the meeting. Councillor Di Martin will Chair the Council over the next 12 months, with Councillor Simon Phelps elected as Vice Chair.