The opposition Conservative group in Hammersmith and Fulham has had a shake-up with a new Leader and Deputy Leader announced.
Cllr Jose Afonso, previously the Opposition Acting Whip, is the new Leader, while Cllr Adrian Pascu-Tulbure is taking on the Deputy Leader role.
The pair replace Cllr Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler and Andrew Dinsmore, the latter of whom has stepped back from the local authority having left the capital after becoming a father.
The group has said that Cllr Brocklebank-Fowler stood down last Wednesday (May 14) due to believing, after four years at the helm, that it was the right time to “hand over the baton”.
Cllr Brocklebank-Fowler will be taking on Mr Dinsmore’s former Social Inclusion and Community Safety portfolio. Cllr Dominic Stanton is the new Whip, and Cllr Aliya Afzal-Khan the Deputy Whip.
Cllr Afonso said: “I would like to start by thanking Cllr Brocklebank-Fowler for her four years of service as Leader of the Opposition. She has left the group in a far better place than it was when she took over.
“Since then, Victoria has consistently highlighted Labour’s failings in office and at the same time overseen the development of a new generation of councillors, and I am personally grateful for the support and advice she has provided me over those years.
“With a year to go until the local elections I am excited about the opportunities drive the opposition forward. There are many challenges ahead, but together, united with one purpose we can head into the 2026 Local Elections with a positive vision for Hammersmith and Fulham, and offer the prospect of real change.”
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has been held by Labour since 2014 following eight years of Tory rule. The Labour administration continues to have a significant majority, with 39 councillors to the Conservatives’ nine.
Mr Dinsmore’s former seat is currently vacant, with a by-election expected in the next couple of months. The local authority also has one Independent councillor, David Morton, who was suspended by Labour in 2023 after allegedly sharing antisemitic and racist content online.
Cllr Morton denied the accusation, and said he quit because of the administration’s policies on Clean Air Neighbourhoods.
The next round of local elections in London are to be held next year.
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