At East Hampshire District Council’s Full Council meeting, councillors called for a fairer and more democratic voting system to be used in future mayoral elections.

The Green party motion, led by Cllr James Hogan for Horndean Downs, was split into two votes:

While both motions passed, only the voting system change was opposed by the Conservative group, making it the first time since the last local elections that the leader of the Council found themselves on the losing side of a vote at Full Council.

“This is about making sure our local democracy is fair, inclusive, and representative,” said Cllr James Hogan. “I’m proud we gained support from across the political spectrum. It shows there’s real appetite for change — and for ensuring the new mayoral role comes with a genuine democratic mandate.”

The vote on the voting system was supported by councillors from the Greens, Whitehill & Bordon Party, Liberal Democrats and Labour— highlighting growing cross-party concern about the use of First Past the Post for single-person elections.

The motion argues that under First Past the Post, a candidate could be elected with less than 20 per cent of the vote, especially in a field with multiple candidates — such as from Reform, Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems, Greens, and Independents.

Supplementary Vote, which had been used for mayoral elections until recently, allows voters to express a second preference — resulting in a more representative outcome.

The part of the motion on financial barriers was passed with strong cross-party support, including most of the Conservative group— recognising that the current £10,000 cost (deposit and booklet inclusion) acts as a deterrent to independent and grassroots candidates.

Both parts of the motion will now be shared with the Hampshire County Council leader, local MPs, and the Minister for Communities, Housing and Local Government seeking their support for these reforms.