Richmond Council's re-elected Liberal Democrat leader has pledged to listen to opposing voices in the borough after his party secured all 54 seats in a historic local election victory. Sir Ed Davey's party is entering its third term in control of the South West London authority, but this time with complete dominance after all five Green councillors lost their seats on May 7.
The Lib Dems held 49 seats before the election, following the Conservatives' loss of their only seat in a by-election in January 2024. The party originally took control from the Tories in 2018. Council leader Gareth Roberts, who has led the authority since 2018, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the administration was "absolutely thrilled" with the result and the trust shown by residents. However, he stressed that members are exploring ways to formally represent dissenting voices in meetings.
Commitment to Representation
Councillor Roberts said: "This is the result of a democratic vote. We would much rather have proportional representation because, unfortunately, first-past-the-post does throw up anomalies like this. But what we will guarantee is that we will ensure that we are listening to all of the voices, that we are governing for all people in the borough – not just those who voted for us. We want to make sure that we are transparent, open and trustworthy as a council and we hope to repay the trust which has been put in us by people all over the borough."
The Lib Dems have long advocated for a move to proportional representation, where seat distribution would correspond more closely with the proportion of total votes cast for each party. Under the current first-past-the-post system, the candidate with the most votes wins each seat.
Councillor Roberts said the authority would ensure it listens to different residents' voices through consultations and by encouraging public questions at council meetings. He added: "We're looking at all sorts of mechanisms… about how we might be able to increase the number of different voices officially within council meetings because I fully recognise that people voted Conservative, they voted Reform, they voted Green and they voted Labour, and really those views shouldn't be frozen out for four years simply because of the voting system that we have."
Former Green Leader Voices Concern
Richmond's former Green leader on the council, Andrée Frieze, who did not stand for re-election, told the LDRS that her party would continue to scrutinise the Lib Dem administration. She said: "I can't deny that probably the national news over the last couple of weeks in the run up to the election – some of the stories going around about the Greens – won't have played their part, and it's difficult to say exactly why on the doorstep we didn't quite manage it… Lib Dems are very strong and they've run a really strong election campaign, so well done them at the end of the day – one has to recognise that it's a good result for them. I'm not sure that it's a good result for residents, frankly. Having 54 councillors all from the same party, with no opposition to scrutinise them, is really bad for democracy. It's really bad for residents."
Ms Frieze vowed the Greens would "stand up for the rights of residents, but also make sure that we keep protecting our planet, dealing with inequality and social justice" by continuing to challenge the Lib Dems, whom she warned against becoming "complacent".
Election Results in Detail
The Lib Dems' victory came after they stood a full slate of 54 candidates in Richmond, as did Labour, the Conservatives and the Greens. Reform UK put forward 45 candidates, while three Independent candidates also contested seats. The overall turnout was 50.8 per cent, up from 47.7 per cent in 2022.
- Lib Dems: 51.5% of votes
- Conservatives: 17.9%
- Greens: 16.1%
- Reform UK: 10%
- Labour: 4.5%
The party's manifesto pledges to "protect what matters most – by transforming how the council works, focussing on early help and prevention, and using every pound wisely to reinvest in a fairer, greener and more resilient Richmond".
Future Plans
Councillor Roberts told the LDRS that the council would "keep delivering the very well-received public services that residents rely on" over the next four years, while continuing to oppose the Government's council funding reforms. The authority has repeatedly said that the Government's decision to update funding rules to redistribute cash across councils, which came into force in April, will result in steep cuts to its central funding.
The council plans to implement a wide-reaching transformation programme to save approximately £30 million per year by 2029, focusing on delivering better outcomes for residents while protecting council finances.
