Councillor Jack Douglas has tabled a no-confidence motion in Royal Borough leader Simon Werner for Tuesday 17 November. The Lib Dems hold 21 of 41 seats.

The leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead faces a vote of no confidence next week. Councillor Jack Douglas has tabled the motion for Full Council at 7pm on Tuesday 17 November, at Maidenhead Town Hall.

The motion is one line long. It says the council “has no confidence in the Leader of the Council”, Councillor Simon Werner, according to the published agenda. It gives no reasons, and it does not name anyone to replace him.

Councillor Douglas represents St Mary’s ward in Maidenhead. The council’s list of councillors records him as a member of the Borough first Independents, part of the Independent Alliance group. Councillor Werner leads the Liberal Democrat group and is also the Cabinet Member for Community Partnerships and Maidenhead.

The numbers in the chamber

The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on their own. A political balance report going to the same meeting gives the current seats:

Group Seats
Liberal Democrats 21
Conservatives 8
Independent Alliance 6
Local Independents 5
Reform UK 1

That makes 41 councillors. The Conservatives grew to eight this autumn. Councillor Suzanne Cross left the Local Independents and joined them on 1 September, and Councillor Clare Stuart-Adams won the Bray by-election for the party on 24 September, the report says.

On those figures, the opposition groups together have 20 votes. The motion could pass only if at least one Liberal Democrat backed it or stayed away.

Each motion on the agenda gets a maximum of 30 minutes, including any amendments. When the time runs out, debate stops and the vote is taken.

The other motions

Three more motions are down for the same night:

  • Fair Funding: Councillor Julian Sharpe, the Conservative group leader, asks the council to condemn the government’s Fair Funding review. His motion says it will cut government funding to the borough by “some £30 million per year”. It asks the leader to write to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and for the council to explore joining other councils in possible legal action.
  • DBS checks for councillors: Councillor Neil Knowles, leader of the Local Independents, asks for a report to Full Council by the end of January 2027 on recommendations for criminal records checks for councillors.
  • Housing targets and the green belt: Councillor Cross asks the council to do its utmost to protect the green belt and the character of villages, and to require developers to deliver infrastructure before construction starts.

Pets Corner, Windsor on Ice and the borough’s debts

Nine questions from residents are on the agenda. Among them:

  • Pets Corner: a Riverside resident says none of the three vet reports the council released under a Freedom of Information request recommends rehoming the animals. He asks what evidence supported the decision, and whether savings were a factor.
  • Windsor on Ice: a Clewer and Dedworth East resident says the planning permission requires Alexandra Gardens to be restored by 1 March, and that this year it was not. He asks for a plan to restore the gardens on time in 2027.
  • Borrowing: the same resident asks how the council will pay back debt that he says will reach around £700 million, under its Exceptional Financial Support arrangement with the government.
  • Clewer Hill Road: another resident asks when the Winkfield Road and Clewer Hill Road junction in Windsor will be improved.

Councillors’ questions include one from Councillor Gurch Singh on Statesman House in Braywick Road. He says it has stood empty for more than five years despite permission for 125 homes, and that the permission lapses in March 2027.

The written answers to residents’ questions are published as a supplement to the agenda by 5pm on the working day before the meeting, which is Monday 16 November.

What it means for you

  • You can watch the meeting live on the council’s YouTube channel from 7pm on Tuesday 17 November, the agenda says. The public can also attend in the Council Chamber.
  • If the motion passes, it would be a statement of the council’s view. The motion as written does not itself remove the leader or set out what happens next.
  • If you want to raise something with your own councillor before the vote, the list of councillors gives each one’s ward and council email address.

We will report the outcome after the meeting.