Arun District Council elects new council Chair
Arun District Council is pleased to announce the election of Councillor Jill Long as the new Chair of the Council for the 2026/27 municipal year.
Jill Long, who represents Brookfield ward, succeeds Councillor Freddie Tandy, who has served as Chair of the Council with distinction over the past year.
Cllr Long was elected to Arun District Council in 2023 and for the past year has served as Vice-Chair of the Council as well as being a member of both the Housing and Wellbeing and Planning Policy Committees and is an elected member of Littlehampton Town Council and was previously Town Mayor of Littlehampton.
Commenting on her new role, Cllr Long said:
“I am truly honoured to be elected Chair of the Council. I am committed to working collaboratively with members of all parties to ensure our discussions are constructive, respectful, and inclusive.
“I look forward to engaging closely with our communities, listening to their views, and championing the voices of residents across the district. Together, we can continue to strengthen our communities and deliver positive outcomes for everyone we serve.”
The new Chair of the council also announced the charities she will support this year as Littlehampton Community Fridge and Littlehampton Foodbank.
Outgoing Chair, Cllr Freddie Tandy said:
“I have truly valued the opportunity to represent the council across our vibrant community. I have met some wonderful people and been privileged to attend and support many events. I am grateful to have had this opportunity and wish Cllr Long every success in the year ahead.”
During his tenure, Cllr Tandy supported a locally founded charity, MenWalkTalk who provide a community of support for men to ensure they know they are not alone. At a reception following the Annual Council meeting, Cllr Tandy shared that during his year as Chair, a total of £1000 was raised for the charity.
A new Vice Chair Cllr Anita Lawrence was elected to support Cllr Long for the coming year.
The council extends its sincere thanks to Cllr Tandy for his dedicated service and congratulates Cllr Long on her new role.
At the meeting it was confirmed that Cllr Martin Lury (Liberal Democrat Group) will continue as Leader of the Council with Cllr Roger Nash stepping down as Deputy Leader and Cllr Freddie Tandy (Labour Group) appointed in that role.
The full list of confirmed group leaders looks like this:
Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group - Councillor Martin Lury
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group - Councillor Matt Stanley
Leader of the Opposition and Conservative Group - Councillor Shaun Gunner
Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Conservative Group - Councillor Keir Greenway
Leader of the Labour Group - Councillor Mike Northeast
Deputy Leader of the Labour Group - Councillor Freddie Tandy
Leader of the Green Group - Councillor Sue Wallsgrove
Deputy Leader of the Green Group - Councillor Mel Penycate
Leader of the Independent Group - Councillor David Huntley
Deputy Leader of the Independent Group - Councillor Shirley Haywood
Leader of the Arun Independent Group - Councillor Steve Goodheart
Deputy Leader of the Arun Independent Group - Councillor Thomas Harty
Leader of Reform UK - Councillor Trevor Bence
Deputy Leader of Reform UK - Councillor Giuliano Pinnelli