Councillor Fran Belbin has been elected as the new leader of Sheffield City Council after former leader Tom Hunt lost his Walkley seat to Councillor Andy Davies, from the Green Party.
No single party has an outright majority following the May council elections. Labour holds 25 seats, the Liberal Democrats hold 22, Reform UK have 11 and the Green Party have 20 of 84 total spaces.
Cllr Davies said: “This victory for the Green Party in Walkley would not have been possible if it had not been for the national picture, people are choosing hope over hatred and division.”
Leader of the Sheffield City Council, Cllr Belbin said: “This progressive leadership arrangement will ensure stability and support the council to restrengthen its relationships across the city.”
Councillor Angela Argenzio will continue her role as Leader of the Green Group. She said: “It is so important for the city that an agreement for a viable administration has been reached.”
The Liberal Democrats announced ahead of the meeting that “after much consideration” they would not form part of the council administration.
Cllr Argenzio said: “It is a shame that the Liberal Democrats have decided to come out of the arrangement that has served the city well in the last four years.”
Councillor Maleiki Haybe, a Green councillor representing Broomhill ward with Cllr Agrenzio said: “I think residents wanted something real. They’re tired of the jargon, and want effective policy that the Greens can provide.”
Reform UK increased their seats from one to thirteen in the local elections but have since fallen back down to 11 councillors.
Councillor Nathanial Menday was elected as the Reform councillor in Woodhouse, despite Liberal Democrat and Labour candidates calling for his disqualification after tweets alleged pro-Nazi comments, which Cllr Menday described as “jokes”, claiming his “sense of humour is not for everyone but neither are his posts.”
Cllr Menday has been suspended by the party and is sitting as an Independent.
In a recent statement a spokesperson for Reform UK said Menday had been suspended for not declaring these social media posts, which has now brought the party into ‘disrepute’.
