Conservatives on Basildon Council held their Annual General Meeting
Councillors welcomed Cllrs Andy Barnes and Martyn Mordecai into the Group and elected Group Officers
The Conservative Group of Basildon Borough Council held its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday night at the Basildon Centre, following a disappointing set of local elections, having lost control of Basildon Council. Councillors commiserated with unsuccessful candidates and former colleagues who had lost their seats, and thanked them for their service. The Group also took the opportunity to welcome new members into the Group - Cllrs Andy Barnes and Martyn Mordecai, who were both elected as new Conservative Councillors for Billericay East last Thursday.
The purpose of the Group AGM is to elect Group Officers and Cllrs Andrew Baggott (Burstead) and Kevin Blake (Burstead) were re-elected Leader and Deputy Leader respectively. Councillor Baggott has led the Conservative Group since 2018 and served as Leader of Basildon Council from 2018 to 2019 and again from 2021 to 2024.
Councillor Blake has been Deputy Group Leader since 2022, having previously served in the role between 2014 and 2020.
Cllrs Baggott and Blake
A ballot was also held to select the Conservative Group nominees for the mayoralty and Cllr Danny Lawrence BEM (Billericay West) has been selected as the Group nominee for Mayor, along with Cllr Alex Myers (Castledon & Crouch), who was selected as the Group nominee for Deputy Mayor.
Cllrs Lawrence and Myers will be formally nominated for the positions at the Annual Meeting of Basildon Council scheduled for May 23rd for election by the Full Council. Councillor Lawrence has represented Billericay West since 2012 and previously served as Deputy Mayor of Basildon under three Mayors: from 2013 to 2014 under Mayor Larkin, from 2015 to 2016 under Mayor Morris and from 2018 to 2019 under Mayor Dadds. Councillor Myers has represented Castledon & Crouch since 2024 and previously represented the old Wickford Castledon Ward from 2022.
Cllr Stuart Allen (Crouch) was also re-elected unopposed as our long-serving Group Secretary.
Basildon Conservatives are no longer the largest party on Basildon Council and we accept the verdict of the electorate. We will now steel ourselves to be a principled and effective Opposition and hold the new Administration to account to the electoral promises they have made to residents.