Milton Keynes Labour Group has elected Cllr Lauren Townsend as its first ever female leader, following election results.

Milton Keynes’ new Labour leader, Cllr Lauren Townsend, was born and raised in Milton Keynes and has represented residents as a councillor since 2019. She previously served as Deputy Leader and as Cabinet Member for Resources and Customer Experience on the Labour-led city council administration.

Adding to the change in leadership, Cllr Donna Fuller has also been appointed as Deputy Leader of the city’s Labour Group.

The news comes after the recent elections, where Labour won 19 seats, coming second to Liberal Democrats which secured 20. Both parties won over twice as many seats as Reform UK in Milton Keynes, and Labour won one ward in the city. Overall, progressive parties in the city won 65% of the seats on Milton Keynes City Council.

Milton Keynes Labour has elected Cllr Lauren Townsend as its first female leader, following the elections.

placeholder image — Milton Keynes Labour has elected Cllr Lauren Townsend as its first female leader, following the elections.

Cllr Lauren Townsend, Leader of Milton Keynes Labour, said: “I am incredibly proud of our city and of the people who make it such a forward-looking and progressive place to live.

“With one of the highest voter turnouts we’ve seen in the city, residents turned out to defy the polls and make clear that Milton Keynes rejects Reform-style politics. It is a powerful statement of belief in our city’s future, and I am proud to live in and represent a city that continues to lead the way.”

“I would also like to thank all our councillors for their commitment and service, including our former Leader, Pete Marland, whose dedication over 12 years has helped make Milton Keynes the successful, well-run city it is today. His leadership leaves a strong legacy we are proud to build upon.”

Cllr Donna Fuller, Deputy Leader of Milton Keynes Labour, added: “It is a great honour to have been elected by the Milton Keynes Labour Group to serve as Deputy Leader. I am proud of the people of Milton Keynes for turning out to make their voices heard and to stand up for the future of their city.

“I look forward to working hard to continue delivering the real change that people can clearly see across communities right across Milton Keynes.”

The new leader of Milton Keynes City Council will be appointed at the authority’s annual general meeting on Wednesday May 20.