Lynne Hillan poised to replace Mike Freer as leader of Barnet Council

Yesterday evening, Barnet Council leader Mike Freer stepped down as leader of the Conservative group in advance of stepping down as leader of the Council next week to concentrate on his campaign to be elected MP for Finchley and Golders Green at the general election. He has recently made a name for himself as a council leader with the so-called "easyCouncil model" he has pursued in Barnet, covered recently on ConHome here and here.

The existing deputy leader, Lynne Hillan (pictured), beat Fiona Bulmer in a contest to succeed Mike Freer for the group leadership last night, so she can therefore be expected to be anointed leader of the council at the full council meeting next Tuesday.

She has been deputy leader for the last year and is succeeded in that post by Andrew Harper, currently the cabinet member for environment and transport.

I am reliably informed that Lynne will only be the fourth fifth (according to David Boothroyd in the comments) Conservative woman to lead a London Borough since 1965 when the current structure of local government in London was put in place - the others were Beatrice Howard (Ealing), Dame Shirley Porter (Westminster), Joan Hanham (Kensington and Chelsea) and Teresa O'Neill (currently leading Bexley Council).

Jonathan Isaby