Agenda item

Report of the Director of Law and Governance

The City Council considered a report of the Director of Law and Governance which sought approval for a revised Political Proportionality for 2025/26 and the consequential amendments required to appointments to Council and outside bodies which had arisen as a result of the formal notification by Councillor J Gardiner and Councillor M Lapsa that they were Reform Group Councillors from 6 June 2025.

At the Annual General Meeting of the Council on 22 May 2025, Council approved the Political Proportionality for the City Council for 2025/26, based on the following Group numbers:

·  Labour Group – 40 seats

·  Conservative Group – 12 seats

·  Green Group – 2 seats

Appointments were made to Council and outside bodies for 2025/26 in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990 which require bodies to be politically balanced and seats on Council bodies to be allocated in proportion to the Groups’ share of the total membership of the Council. 

On 6 June 2025 Councillors J Gardiner and M Lapsa formally notified the Head of Governance, as the Proper Officer, that they were now Reform Councillors (instead of Conservative Councillors) and had formed the Reform Group on the City Council, with Councillor Gardiner as the Leader of the Group and Councillor Lapsa as the Deputy Leader. The revised political make-up of the Council was now:

·  Labour Group – 40 seats

·  Conservative Group – 10 seats

·  Green Group – 2 seats

·  Reform Group – 2 seats

In accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and The Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, consideration needs to be given the revised Political Proportionality of the Council and to consequential amendments to the appointments to Council and outside bodies for 2025/26.

The City Council also considered a briefing note which was tabled at the meeting and which set out the details relating to the change in Political Proportionality, including the resulting changes to appointments for consideration by Council.

RESOVED that the City Council:

I)  Approve the revised Political Proportionality for the City Council for 2025/26 as appended to these Minutes.

II)  Approve the following amendments to appointments:

a)  Councillor M Lapsa to the Licensing and Regulatory Committee in place of Councillor J Lepoidevin

b)  Councillor J Gardiner to the Ethics Committee

c)  Councillor M Lapsa to be the named substitute for the Ethics Committee

d)  Councillor B Mosterman to the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee in place of Councillor M Lapsa

e)  Councillor B Mosterman to the Health and Wellbeing Board in place of Councillor M Lapsa

f)  Councillor M Lapsa and Councillor T Sawdon to the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities – Members Training and Development Advisory Panel

g)  Councillor J Gardiner as a non-voting representative to Cabinet and the Coventry Shareholders Panel

h)  Councillor T Jandu to the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre in place of Councillor M Lapsa

III)  Noted the following changes which also occur as a result of the changes to the proportionality arrangements:

a)  Councillor J Gardiner remains on the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2), in a place now allocated to the Reform Group which was previously allocated to the Conservative Group

b)  Councillor M Lapsa remains on the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5), in a place now allocated to the Reform Group which was previously allocated to the Conservative Group

c)  Appointments to the Corporate Parenting Board and Children and Young People’s Partnership Board made by Council to the Shadow Cabinet Member for Children and Young People which is now Councillor J Lepoidevin

d)  The Planning Committee is reduced to 9 members with Councillor J Gardiner and Councillor G Hayre no longer being members of the Planning Committee