Sutton Council Votes to Back Electoral Reform, Advocating for Proportional Representation

15 July 2026

Sutton Council has formally backed electoral reform, advocating for a move away from the First Past the Post (FPTP) system towards proportional representation (PR).

The decision was made during a council meeting on Monday, July 13, 2026, where councillors debated and voted on a key motion.

Councillor Lisa Webster, who proposed the motion, argued that FPTP leads to disproportional outcomes and a postcode lottery for votes. She cited the 2024 General Election, where the winning party secured a massive 63% majority of seats on just 33% of the vote. Similarly, in the 2026 Sutton Local Elections, we won 44% of the vote, which first past the post translated into nearly 93% of the seats. Meanwhile, Reform UK, the Conservatives and the Greens won a combined 48% of the vote, supported by nearly half our residents. And yet, they hold just two seats between them, with the Conservatives and Greens completely unrepresented.

Every single vote should count equally, Councillor Webster stated. This isn't an abstract academic debate. The way we vote is fundamental to the real-life issues our residents face.

Councillor Ian Simpson seconded the motion, highlighting his work with the Electoral Reform Society and the potential for a pro-PR Prime Minister to enact change. He noted that in the recent local elections, parties secured large majorities of seats with less than two-fifths of the vote. Councillor Simpson also pointed to the single transferable vote system as a model, which is already used in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This system, he explained, uses multi-member wards and is very simple for voters to use. He added that it allows independent candidates to do well and ensures the composition of councillors in our town halls broadly reflects how local people have expressed their democratic will in ballot boxes.

The motion itself calls on Group Leaders to collectively write to the new Prime Minister... specifically calling for the Government to urgently establish a National Commission on Electoral Reform with clear terms of reference, as proposed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections, which should report before the next general election. Councillor Simpson expressed optimism about the political landscape, stating that this time next Monday, it's almost certain that we will have a pro-PR prime minister walking up the steps of 10 Downing Street. He further elaborated on the potential for change, noting that Mr Burnham's on record as saying just a few months ago that he wants to see a national commission on electoral reform set up in this parliament and a manifesto commitment to introduce a system of PR into Westminster elections in the next parliament.

An amendment proposed by Councillor Nick Mattey and seconded by Councillor Dave Tchil, which argued that PR is not a cure-all and raised concerns about campaign tactics, was debated but ultimately lost. Councillor Mattey argued that fear was exploited to achieve their electoral success by the Liberal Democrats and suggested that under a German-style PR system, Reform UK would be in a very strong position. Councillor Tchil echoed concerns about the effectiveness of local committees and their financial remuneration, suggesting that funds allocated to local committee chairs could be reinvested into community projects.

The original motion was then carried, signalling Sutton Council's formal backing for electoral reform.

Councils Involved

Sutton

Meetings Involved

the Council of Sutton Council on 13 July 2026

People Involved

Councillor Sue Ebanks Liberal Democrat Beddington

Councillor Yusuf Abd El-Razzak Liberal Democrat Sutton North

Councillor Trish Fivey Liberal Democrat Sutton South

Councillor Edward Joyce Vice Chair of the Scrutiny Committee Liberal Democrat South Beddington and Roundshaw

Councillor Stephen Kingdom Vice Chair of the People Committee Liberal Democrat Cheam

Councillor Sunil Kumar Liberal Democrat South Beddington and Roundshaw

Spencer Palmer

Councillor Louise Phelan Chair of the Licensing Committee, Vice Chair of the Sutton Local Committee Liberal Democrat Sutton West and East Cheam

Councillor Cumar Sahathevan Vice Chair of the North Cheam, Stonecot and Worcester Park Local Committee, Chair North East Surrey Crematorium Board Liberal Democrat Stonecot

Councillor Colin Stears Chair of the Hackbridge, St Helier and The Wrythe Local Committee Liberal Democrat The Wrythe

Helen Bailey

Councillor Sam Cumber Chair of the Sutton Local Committee Liberal Democrat Sutton North

Councillor Cryss Mennaceur Deputy Mayor, Chair of the Pension Committee Liberal Democrat Sutton Central

Councillor Gemma Munday Chair of the People Committee Liberal Democrat St Helier East

Councillor Dave Tchil Leader of the Labour Coop and Independent Group Labour Coop and Independent Hackbridge

Councillor Judy Walsh Liberal Democrat South Beddington and Roundshaw

Councillor Rukhsar Askari Liberal Democrat The Wrythe

Councillor Richard Clifton Vice Chair of the Planning Committee Liberal Democrat Sutton South

Councillor Jo Elgarf Vice Chair of the Licensing Committee Liberal Democrat Worcester Park North

Councillor Qasim Esak Chair of the Scrutiny Committee Liberal Democrat Sutton West and East Cheam

Councillor Jake Short Chair of the Hosuing, Economy and Business Committee Liberal Democrat Carshalton Central

Councillor Lisa Webster Vice Chair of the Carshalton and Clockhouse Local Committee Liberal Democrat Carshalton South and Clockhouse

Councillor Rob Beck Chair of the North Cheam, Stonecot and Worcester Park Local Committee Liberal Democrat Stonecot

Councillor Pete Chubb Vice Chair of the Environment and Sustainable Transport Committee Liberal Democrat Carshalton South and Clockhouse

Councillor Joicy Joseph Liberal Democrat St Helier West

Councillor Rob Leah Liberal Democrat Beddington

Councillor Barry Lewis Leader of the Council Liberal Democrat Wallington North

Councillor Alison Long Leader of the Reform UK group Reform UK St Helier West

Councillor Sam Martin Deputy Leader of the Council, Vice Chair of the Beddington and Wallington Local Committee Liberal Democrat Wallington South

Councillor Nick Mattey Deputy Leader of the Labour Coop and Independent Group Labour Coop and Independent Beddington

Councillor Jayne McCoy Chair of the Planning Committee Liberal Democrat Wallington South

Councillor Jason Stone Liberal Democrat North Cheam

Councillor Noor Sumun Liberal Democrat Carshalton South and Clockhouse

Councillor Chandra Alapati Liberal Democrat Belmont

Councillor James Appleby Liberal Democrat North Cheam

Councillor Isabel Araujo Liberal Democrat Carshalton Central

Councillor Joseph Barkham Liberal Democrat Belmont

Councillor Paul Cole Vice Chair of the People Committee, Vice Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board Liberal Democrat St Helier East

Councillor Tom Foster Liberal Democrat Hackbridge

Councillor Aaron Goater Chair of the Beddington and Wallington Local Committee Liberal Democrat Wallington North

Councillor Sunita Gordon Lead Member for Resources Liberal Democrat Wallington North

Councillor Janey Gould Deputy Leader of the Reform UK group Reform UK St Helier West

Councillor Jenna Hartley-Smith Liberal Democrat Worcester Park South

Councillor Vanessa McCain Liberal Democrat Sutton North

Councillor Ed Parsley Vice Chair of the Hosuing, Economy and Business Committee Liberal Democrat Sutton Central

Councillor Luni Sabharwal Liberal Democrat Worcester Park South

Councillor Muhammad Sadiq Mayor Liberal Democrat Wallington South

Councillor Naveen Samrat Liberal Democrat North Cheam

Councillor Christopher Woolmer Chair of the Environment and Sustainable Transport Committee Liberal Democrat Sutton West and East Cheam

Councillor Rashi Barsaiyan Vice Chair of the Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee Liberal Democrat Belmont

Councillor Richard Choi Liberal Democrat Sutton Central

Imran Choudhury

Councillor Asif Hirani Liberal Democrat Sutton South

Councillor Andrew Jenner Chair of the Carshalton and Clockhouse Local Committee Liberal Democrat Carshalton Central

Councillor Shimino Jesudas Liberal Democrat Cheam

Councillor Israel Owoade Liberal Democrat Worcester Park North

Councillor Ian Simpson Vice Chair of the Hackbridge, St Helier and The Wrythe Local Committee, Vice Chair of the Pension Committee Liberal Democrat The Wrythe

Richard Simpson

Councillor Melody Thorpe Chair of the Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee Liberal Democrat Cheam

Topics

Council of Sutton electoral reform Lisa Webster Councillor Nick Mattey Dave Tchil First Past the Post (FPTP) system proportional representation (PR) Councillor Ian Simpson Electoral Reform Society