Wolverhampton Tory group leader to stay on after election gains
A city councillor has been unanimously re-elected as Tory group leader after boosting opposition numbers at the local elections.
Councillor Wendy Thompson will continue to lead Wolverhampton's Conservative group, with Merry Hill councillor Simon Bennett taking over in the deputy role from Chris Haynes.
The Tories took seats off Labour in Bushbury North, Merry Hill, Oxley, Penn and Wednesfield South in last week's Wolverhampton Council elections.
They now have 15 seats in the council chamber, to the ruling Labour administration's 44.
Councillor Thompson, who has led the Tories since 2014, said: "It’s a privilege to lead the Conservative group and I am delighted to have the unanimous support of my colleagues.
“Together we are all striving to deliver for the city and to hold the Labour administration to account.
"We made excellent progress in the recent local elections and this year we will be redoubling efforts ahead of the all-out local elections next May."
Councillor Bennett said he was honoured to have been elected deputy leader, and that Councillor Haynes would be "a hard act to follow".
"I am fortunate he leaves me with a strong base on which to build," he added.
