First Full Council Meeting since the local elections

Following the recent local elections, Buckinghamshire Council's political composition has shifted, resulting in no single party holding overall control, but now a new Chair, Deputy Chair and Leader have been elected.

Cllr Sarfaraz Khan Raja is the newly elected Chairman of Buckinghamshire Council, with Cllr John Chilver deputy, and Cllr Steven Broadbent the Council Leader. All three are Conservative Councillors. You can read more about them below.

Previously, the Tories held a majority with 113 seats out of 147. The reduction to 97 seats, due to boundary changes, and the recent election results have led to a more balanced council without a clear majority.  Now the council seats are now distributed as follows:

Conservative Party: 48 seats
Liberal Democrats: 27 seats
Independents: 11 seats
Labour Party: 4 seats
Reform UK: 3 seats
Green Party: 2 seats
Wycombe Independents: 2 seats

This new composition means that the council will require cross-party collaboration to make decisions, marking a significant change in its governance dynamics.

Cllr Sarfaraz Khan Raja is the newly elected Chairman of Buckinghamshire Council for the 2025/26 term. He has been a councillor since 2015, representing the Terriers and Amersham Hill ward. Before becoming chairman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Council and held leadership roles including Chair of the High Wycombe Town Committee and the Environment and Climate Group.

He was Mayor of High Wycombe in 2018–2019 and raised over £27,000 for charity during his tenure. Outside of politics, he works as a Purchasing Manager at a local engineering company and is involved with several community organizations, including Hamilton Academy, John Hampden Grammar School, One Can Trust, and Wycombe Environment Centre.

Born and raised in High Wycombe, Cllr Raja lives in the same ward he represents with his wife and three children. He enjoys football and cricket in his spare time.

Two Councillors were nominated for Deputy Chairman, Cllr Raj Khan (Lib Dem) received 44 votes, Cllr John Chilver (Conservative) pipped him to the post with 49.

Councillor John Chilver has been elected Deputy Chairman of Buckinghamshire Council following the May 2025 local elections. He won as the Conservative representative for the Horwood ward. A long-serving local politician, he previously represented Winslow and remains active in the Conservative Party at a regional level.

Chilver also served as Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, overseeing finance, property, HR, IT, and customer services. His appointment comes as the Conservatives lost their overall majority on the council, which is now under no overall control.

Councillor Steven Broadbent (Conservative) has been elected as the new leader of Buckinghamshire Council following the May 2025 local elections. He was the sole nominee for the position and was elected unopposed during the council's annual meeting on 21 May 2025. This leadership change comes after the Conservative Party lost overall control of the council, securing 48 seats—just one short of the 49 needed for a majority in the 97-seat council 

Prior to his election as council leader, Councillor Broadbent served as Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transport. He represents the Ridgeway East ward and has been a councillor for over a decade. His unanimous election as leader of the Conservative group followed the decision of former leader Martin Tett to step down after 14 years in the role.

The new council leadership will need to navigate a more politically diverse landscape, as the council is now under no overall control.