Issue - meetings

To advise Charter Trustees of the outcome of the nomination process for appointment to the office of Sheriff of Poole 2025/2026 and subsequent Mayor of Poole 2026/2027.

Neil Fraser, Deputy Head of Democratic Services, presented the report, confirming that following a request to Charter Trustees for nominations to the position of Sheriff of Poole 2025/2026 and subsequent Mayor of Poole 2026/2027, two nominations had been received. Following a secret ballot, Cllr Karen Rampton was confirmed as Sheriff elect for 2025/2026 and subsequent Mayor of Poole for 2026/2027.

Cllr Rampton, Sheriff elect, thanked Trustees for their support and the Mayor for his service. Cllr Rampton announced she was delighted to be Sheriff elect and was looking forward to fulfilling and upholding traditions of the role. Trustees congratulated Cllr Rampton on her appointment.

Richard Jones, Head of Democratic Services, provided Trustees with an update on the Community Governance Review currently underway, and its implications to the Charter Trustees.

Trustees were advised that, in the event that a new town council was established for the whole or a part of the former Borough of Poole, elections would be held in May 2026. As a result, if the current Sheriff elect did not stand for election, or was not elected, they would not progress to be Mayor.

However, should the Charter Trustees co-exist with a new parish council, they would still cover the whole of Poole, and Cllr Rampton would continue to be Mayor, as one of two Mayors.

Trustees sought clarity on previous advice that, at the conclusion of the CGR, the Charter Trustees would retain authority over any unparished areas only. In response, it was confirmed that new advice had been received which suggested that if the outcome of the CGR was that there remained unparished areas of Poole, the Charter Trustees would retain authority over the whole of the Poole area.