It is understood that Coun. J. Allen, the senior member and a Liberal, has been approached and is willing to accept nomination. This will be agreeable to all parties, for Mr. Allen is the “father” of the Council, with 25 years’ service to his credit, and last served as chairman in 1940-41, having also been through the chair in 1934-35.

The difficulty would have arisen had Mr. Allen declined to accept. For many years, with three parties more or less evenly balanced on the Council, the nomination of a vice-chairman went round from party to party in peaceful rotation. At the last election, however, the Liberals were reduced to three, which is only one-sixth of the total membership.

It then became doubtful whether the party could continue to expect its old share of the rota, and the point has now been tested for the first time. The other Liberals are Mr. W. E. Capon, who was chairman in 1949-50, and Mrs. O. A. H. Muxlow, who presided in 1946-47. Had Mr. Allen not been available the other parties would undoubtedly have raised the question of the “honours,” and the Conservatives, as the largest group, and next in rotation, would probably have put forward one of their own members.

The present chairman, Mr. Frank Brown (Conservative), will preside for the last time at next Wednesday’s meeting, and on May 21st Mr. Cyril Faulkner (Labour) will succeed him.