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Annual Meeting, County Council - Tuesday, 20 May 2025 10.00 am

May 20, 2025 View on council website  Watch video of meeting  Watch video of meeting or read trancript
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Summary

At the annual meeting of Hertfordshire County Council, Councillor Laurence Brass was elected as the new Chairman, and Councillor Sandy Walkington was elected as Vice-Chairman. Councillor Steve Jarvis was elected as the Leader of the Council, marking a shift from the previous Conservative administration.

Election of Council Leader

Councillor Steve Jarvis, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, was elected as the new Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, succeeding Councillor Richard Roberts. Councillor Sally Symington nominated Councillor Jarvis, highlighting his experience and commitment to Liberal Democrat values1 and Councillor Helen Campbell seconded the nomination, expressing her confidence in his leadership.

In his address to the council, Councillor Jarvis acknowledged the public's desire for change and outlined his administration's priorities:

We want a council that people see us on their side doing better for the children with special needs and for the children without special needs as well, actually fixing roads and bus services and creating a greener county.

He announced the first two priority actions of his administration's first 100 days: trialling a new approach to pothole repairs and holding a SEND summit to improve services for young people and their parents.

Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman

Councillor Laurence Brass was elected as the new Chairman of Hertfordshire County Council, nominated by Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst and seconded by Councillor Stephen Jarvis. Councillor Brass is the first non-Conservative chairman in 32 years. In his acceptance speech, Councillor Brass pledged to carry out his duties impartially and to the best of his ability.

Councillor Sandy Walkington was elected as the Vice-Chairman of the council, nominated by Councillor Mark Watkin and seconded by Councillor Sally Symington.

Political Proportionality on Committees

The council addressed the allocation of seats to party groups on ordinary committees and sub-committees, as required by the Local Government and Housing Act 19892. A report from the Director of Law and Governance proposed disapplying the political balance rules for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Health Scrutiny Committee. This was to ensure fair representation, taking into account the presence of external members on these committees. The council voted to approve the allocation of seats and continue the waiver of political proportionality for the specified committees.

Appointments to Committees and Joint Committees

The council made appointments to various committees, including:

  • Audit Committee
  • Development Control Committee
  • Employment Committee
  • Health & Wellbeing Board
  • Health Scrutiny Committee
  • Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Partnership
  • Impact of Scrutiny Advisory Committee
  • Overview and Scrutiny Committee
  • Pensions Committee
  • Standards Committee

The council also appointed representatives to joint committees, including:

  • Hertfordshire Police and Crime Panel (Councillor Matt Fisher)
  • Local Government Pension Scheme Access Joint Committee (Councillor Tim Williams)
  • Hertfordshire Growth Board (Councillor Steve Jarvis)
  • Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Joint Committee (Councillor Miriam Swainston)

Representation on the Local Government Association and County Councils Network

The council appointed representatives to the Local Government Association General Assembly and the County Councils Network. Councillors Steve Jarvis, Sally Symington, Fiona Thomson and Doug Bainbridge will represent the council on the Local Government Association General Assembly. Councillors Steve Jarvis, Sally Symington, Richard Roberts and David Herring will represent the council on the County Councils Network.


  1. The Liberal Democrats' core values are liberty, equality, democracy, community, human rights, internationalism and environmentalism. 

  2. The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 is legislation that covers a range of issues, including the allocation of seats to parties on committees in proportion to their representation on the council. 

Attendees

Profile image for Ian Albert
Ian Albert  Vice-chairman Pensions Committee •  (Labour)
Profile image for Christopher Alley
Christopher Alley  (Conservative)
Profile image for Doug Bainbridge
Doug Bainbridge  Leader, Reform Group •  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Janet Bainbridge
Janet Bainbridge  (Reform UK)
Profile image for David Barnard
David Barnard  (Conservative)
Profile image for Nigel Bell
Nigel Bell  Leader, Labour Group •  (Labour)
Profile image for Tina Bhartwas
Tina Bhartwas  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Mark Biddle
Mark Biddle  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Michael Blissett
Michael Blissett  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Laurence Brass
Laurence Brass  Chairman •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Morris Bright MBE
Morris Bright MBE  (Conservative)
Profile image for Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown  Deputy Executive member for Environment, Transport and Growth; Vice-Chairman Standards Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Eric Buckmaster
Eric Buckmaster  (Conservative)
Profile image for Helen Campbell
Helen Campbell  Deputy Executive Member for Highways •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Rachel Carter
Rachel Carter  Chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee •  (Green)
Profile image for Caroline Clapper
Caroline Clapper  Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee •  (Conservative)
Profile image for Peter Colley
Peter Colley  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Matt Cowley
Matt Cowley  (Conservative)
Profile image for Ken Crofton
Ken Crofton  (Conservative)
Profile image for Alexander Curtis
Alexander Curtis  (Conservative)
Profile image for Adrian England
Adrian England  Executive member for Sustainability •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Matt Fisher
Matt Fisher  Deputy Leader, Green Group •  (Green)
Profile image for Stephen Giles-Medhurst
Stephen Giles-Medhurst  Executive member for Highways •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for John Graham
John Graham  (Conservative)
Profile image for John Hale
John Hale  Chairman of the Audit Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Dee Hart
Dee Hart  (Conservative)
Profile image for David Herring
David Herring  Deputy Leader, Reform Group •  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Penelope Hill
Penelope Hill  Vice-Chairmen of Scrutiny Committee; Chairman Impact of Scrutiny Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Tony Hill
Tony Hill  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Hillary Skoczylas
Hillary Skoczylas  Deputy Executive member for Education, SEND and Inclusion •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Ajanta Hilton
Ajanta Hilton  Executive member for Public Health and Community Safety •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Paula Hiscocks
Paula Hiscocks  (Conservative)
Profile image for Calvin Horner
Calvin Horner  Deputy Executive member for Adult Care Services •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Matthew Hurst
Matthew Hurst  Vice-Chairmen of Scrutiny Committee •  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Saul Jacob
Saul Jacob  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Steve Jarvis
Steve Jarvis  Leader of the Council; Chairman Employment Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Dr Beth Kelly
Dr Beth Kelly  (Labour)
Profile image for Tony Kingsbury
Tony Kingsbury  (Conservative)
Profile image for Chris Lloyd
Chris Lloyd  Vice-Chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Chris Lucas
Chris Lucas  Executive member for Resources and Performance •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Jan Maddern
Jan Maddern  (Independent)
Profile image for Gemma Moore
Gemma Moore  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Ralph Muncer
Ralph Muncer  (Conservative)
Profile image for Liz Needham
Liz Needham  Vice-Chairman of the Audit Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Anthony Owen
Anthony Owen  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Robin Parker
Robin Parker  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Vishal Patel
Vishal Patel  (Conservative)
Profile image for Mark Pope
Mark Pope  (Conservative)
Profile image for Sean Prendergast
Sean Prendergast  Chairman Standards Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Louise Price
Louise Price  Deputy Executive member for Children's Social Care •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Seamus Quilty
Seamus Quilty  (Conservative)
Profile image for Simon Rhodes
Simon Rhodes  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Richard Roberts
Richard Roberts  Leader, Conservative Group •  (Conservative)
Profile image for Stuart Roberts
Stuart Roberts  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Wendy Rouse
Wendy Rouse  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Anthony Rowlands
Anthony Rowlands  Executive member for Children's Social Care •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Paul Seeby
Paul Seeby  (Conservative)
Profile image for Richard Short
Richard Short  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Terry Smith
Terry Smith  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Caroline Smith-Wright
Caroline Smith-Wright  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Miriam Swainston
Miriam Swainston  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Sally Symington
Sally Symington  Deputy Leader of the Council; Executive member for Adult Care Services; Chairman Health & Well-being Board; Vice-Chairman Employment Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Nigel Taylor
Nigel Taylor  Chairman of Development Control Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Kirsty Taylor-Moran
Kirsty Taylor-Moran  Leader, Green Group •  (Green)
Profile image for Fiona Thomson
Fiona Thomson  Deputy Leader, Conservative Group •  (Conservative)
Profile image for Sandy Walkington
Sandy Walkington  Vice-Chairman •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Mark Watkin
Mark Watkin  Executive member for Education, SEND and Inclusion •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Steven Watson
Steven Watson  Vice-Chairmen of Scrutiny Committee •  (Green)
Profile image for Andrew Williams MBE
Andrew Williams MBE  (Conservative)
Profile image for Tim Williams
Tim Williams  Deputy Executive Member for Resources and Performance; Chairman of the Pensions Committee •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Alistair Willoughby
Alistair Willoughby  Deputy Leader, Labour Group; Vice-Chairmen of Scrutiny Committee •  (Labour)
Profile image for Steve Wortley
Steve Wortley  (Conservative)
Profile image for Dr Allison Wren
Dr Allison Wren  Deputy Executive Member for Public Health and Community Safety •  (Liberal Democrats)
Profile image for Christopher Wright
Christopher Wright  (Reform UK)
Profile image for Colette Wyatt-Lowe
Colette Wyatt-Lowe  (Conservative)
Profile image for Paul Zukowskyj
Paul Zukowskyj  Executive member for Environment, Transport and Growth •  (Liberal Democrats)
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