DEVON County Council’s new chair has been appointed in a vote that saw most of the biggest opposition party abstain.

Cllr Caroline Leaver (Liberal Democrat, Barnstaple South) secured the position as chair, a largely ceremonial role that involves representing the council across the county.

Cllr Leaver was the only nominee put forward for the position at the first full council meeting of the new administration, but when votes were taken, many Reform UK councillors abstained.

They largely did the same when it came to the vote for council leader, for which Lib Dem Cllr Julian Brazil (Kingsbridge) was the only nominee.

Cllr Edward Hill (Reform UK, Pinhoe and Mincinglake) said after the meeting that the his party’s abstentions were related to what some feel is a lack of political representation on the cabinet.

The cabinet is the council’s main decision-making body, and while the 10-member entity does have a Green Party councillor – Totnes and Dartington member Cllr Jacqi Hodgson – no other parties are represented.

The previous administration, led by the Conservatives, only had Tory cabinet members.

The 2024 Liberal Democrat national manifesto said the party was fighting for proportional representation, which it states makes “seats won match votes cast”.

New leader Cllr Brazil (Liberal Democrat, Kingsbridge) said he understood the Reform UK members’ frustration.

“Who knows, in future perhaps we can be more inclusive, but from the beginning we need to get on with the work we need to do,” he said.

Cllr Brazil reiterated that he wanted to try and be “as inclusive as possible”.

“All voices will be listened to and if you have a good idea, that will be accepted as we want to get rid of the Punch and Judy approach to politics. We owe it to our electorate, as they have spoken and want us to do things in a different way.”

Cllr Hill said his party’s members had not been asked to abstain, and so the move by members of the party to do so had been an individual choice on each councillor’s part.

He added that he would be disappointed if Reform UK appointed cabinets in councils it controlled entirely from its own party.

Alongside Cllr Leaver, Cllr Rosie Dawson (Liberal Democrat, Dawlish) was appointed vice chair, replacing her predecessor in the role, Pru Maskell, a former Conservative councillor who lost her seat in the election at the beginning of the month.

In her first session as chair, Cllr Leaver had to deal with some discontent from members, including frustration from Reform UK member Cllr Neil Stevens (Alphington & Cowick) about not being allowed to address the chamber with comments he had prepared, and from independent member Cllr Paul Hayward, who complained about the poor acoustics and confusion around a motion about installing swift boxes on council-owned property.

Cllr Hayward said it was difficult for people who were hard-of-hearing to keep up with verbal changes to the motion, and requested that in future updated motions be “put in writing on the 20-foot screen that’s right there.”

Bradley Gerrard