Annual Council meeting (Part 2)

On Thursday 21 May I attended Part 2 of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Annual Council meeting. This follows Part 1 of the Annual Council meeting on 14 May, where the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2026/27 were elected. This part of the meeting is where the council sets up its committees and appointments for the year ahead.

For 2026/27 I have been appointed to:

• Resident Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee (member)
• Standards Committee (member)
• Crime and Disorder Joint Scrutiny Committee (with Councillor Perry)
• Environment and Infrastructure Overview and Scrutiny Committee (reserve)
• Human Resources Committee (reserve)

Eight committee chair posts were contested and recorded votes were taken. I voted as follows:

• Environment and Infrastructure Overview and Scrutiny – for Councillor West (elected)
• Resident Services Overview and Scrutiny – for Councillor Freeman (elected)
• Resources Overview and Scrutiny – for Councillor Izett (elected)
• South Ham and Buckskin Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny – for Councillor G Watts (elected)
• Audit and Accounts – for Councillor Phillimore (elected)
• Human Resources – for Councillor Bowes (elected)
• Licensing – for Councillor Hart (elected)
• Investigating and Disciplinary and Standards Appeals – for Councillor Blackberry (elected)

Other business – including committee sizes, appointments to joint and outside bodies, and the formal making of the Silchester Neighbourhood Plan – was agreed without requiring a vote.

You can read the official minutes on the council website when they are published.

If you have questions about any of this, get in touch.