Portsmouth City Council Liberal Democrats choose their groups leaders after election delight
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After the results of the Portsmouth City Council local elections, the Liberal Democrats expanded their representation in the council by one seat securing their position of being the largest party, though having no overall control of the council. The party has unanimously chosen Councillor Steve Pitt as the group leader alongside Cllr Suzy Horton as deputy leader.
Cllr Pitt told his Liberal Democrat colleagues: “We are all here to build on the important work that is already underway thanks to Liberal Democrat leadership for 16 of the last 20 years and to improve the city yet further for our residents.
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Hide Ad“It is a huge privilege to be re-elected as your leader. At the local elections, we won a huge mandate from the people of Portsmouth. Not only do they want us to continue, but they want more of us here to do it. Our message to the city is clear – thank you. We will never take you or your support for granted.”
Cllr Suzy Horton added: “We have been able to protect city services with a balanced and responsible budget. Together we all made that case to city residents and that clearly resonated with them. They like the grown-up leadership which Liberal Democrats offer, and they’d like to see more of it. With local government finances in the position they are in thanks to decisions taken by the Central Government, things might not be easy and we will face more challenges. The city clearly trusts us to get those key decisions right.”
The Liberal Democrats secured 19 council seats after the election, one more than the previous year. However, to achieve a majority in the council, a party or coalition must hold at least 22 seats out of the total 42. It was noted that the party hasn’t held this many council seats since 2012. The council will meet on May 14 to decide on the leader of the council, cabinet members and the appointment of councillors to panels and committees – subject to any negotiations with other council groups.