Lib Dem Amjid Ali leads Luton Council after Tahmina Saleem was removed 26 to 21. His coalition holds 23 of 48 seats, and Labour is now the opposition.

Luton Council has a new Leader. Liberal Democrat Cllr Amjid Ali was elected on Monday night, minutes after councillors voted to remove Labour’s Cllr Tahmina Saleem from the post.

He will lead a coalition of the Liberal Democrat, Independent Alliance and Conservative groups. Labour becomes the official opposition, the council confirmed on 15 September.

How the vote went

The extraordinary meeting of Full Council began at 6pm on Monday 14 September. The council’s webcast of the meeting runs to almost three hours.

The vote to remove the Leader was taken by roll call, with the acting chief executive reading out each councillor’s name. The result was:

Vote Councillors
For removing the Leader 26
Against 21
Abstention 1

That accounts for all 48 seats. At the first vote on 3 September, the motion went forward by 24 to 21 with three councillors absent, as we reported in our preview of the meeting.

Cllr Ali was then nominated and seconded. The Mayor asked twice for other nominations and none came. He was appointed Executive Leader for a term that ends at the council’s annual meeting in May 2027.

What each side said

Cllr Stevens moved the motion for the Liberal Democrat group, saying it was “not personally aimed” at Cllr Saleem. The case made was that a council with no overall control did not give officers a stable political lead. The speech also accused Labour of letting day-to-day issues slide in the wards, naming fly tipping, weeds, bins on pavements, the spread of HMOs and nuisance parking.

Cllr Saleem replied that her administration had put £2 million into street cleansing and £3 million into parks in four months. She said the opposition should wait for the elections rather than change the administration a few months before them. “Don’t take power simply because the maths means you can,” she told the chamber.

Those quotes are taken from the council’s own webcast. Neither side’s figures have been checked against council budget papers for this report.

Who is the new Leader?

According to the council, Cllr Ali:

  • was first elected in 2019
  • represents Barnfield ward
  • leads the Liberal Democrat group
  • most recently chaired the Overview and Scrutiny Board and the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee

In the council’s release he said his “immediate priority will be to ensure stability and a renewed sense of purpose to the council”. He also promised a council “that listens, is visible and approachable, and is honest about the challenges it faces.”

He is due to name his Cabinet and each member’s portfolio “in the coming days”. It had not been published when we checked on 17 September.

A coalition without a majority

The council’s political leadership page now says the council is controlled by the three-group coalition. The seat numbers on the same page have not changed:

  • 21 Labour
  • 13 Liberal Democrat
  • 7 Independent Alliance
  • 3 Conservative
  • 3 non-aligned Independent
  • 1 Reform UK

Add up the three coalition groups and they hold 23 of the 48 seats. A majority is 25. So the new administration will need at least two votes from outside its own ranks to win a contested vote at Full Council.

Luton Council after 14 September: the coalition holds 23 of 48 seats The new coalition of Liberal Democrats (13), Independent Alliance (7) and Conservatives (3) holds 23 seats. Labour, now the opposition, holds 21. Non-aligned Independents hold 3 and Reform UK 1. A majority is 25. The vote to remove the Leader on 14 September was 26 for, 21 against, with one abstention. The new coalition holds 23 of 48 seats Luton Council seats by group after the change of Leader on 14 September 2026 Coalition: 23 Lib Dem 13 Ind. Alliance 7 Con 3 Opposition: Labour 21 Labour 21 Others: 4 Ind 3 Reform UK 1 majority: 25 coalition is 2 short Roll-call vote on removing the Leader, 14 September 26 for 21 against 1 abstention Sources: Luton Council political leadership page and news release, 15 September 2026; Full Council webcast, 14 September 2026. Graphic by Luton Daily.

The coalition includes the Independent Alliance. That group was formed by councillors who left Labour, a change we covered in our report on committee seats.

What changes, and what does not

Cllr Saleem succeeded Cllr Hazel Simmons MBE, who stepped down in May after nearly 20 years as Leader, the council said at the time. Monday’s vote ends Labour’s leadership of the council.

Cllr Ali’s term is short. It runs to the annual meeting in May 2027, and the council’s own page says councillors were last elected on 4 May 2023.

Decisions already taken stand unless the new Executive reverses them. That includes the Executive’s 7 September decision to go ahead with the Bury Park traffic trial, which the council says will start “later this autumn”. No start date has been published.

What it means for you

  • Council services carry on as normal. Bins, council tax, parking and planning are run by officers and are not affected by a change of Leader. Your bin collection day and council tax band stay the same.
  • Watch for the Cabinet list. The portfolio holders will decide who answers for each service, from roads to housing. We will report the names when the council publishes them.
  • You can still lobby your own councillors. All 48 are listed by ward on the council’s local councillors page. With no group holding a majority, individual votes now matter more at Full Council.
  • Full Council meetings are public. They are streamed on the council’s YouTube channel, and the next dates are on the council’s meetings calendar.

Sources