Wikipedia-style reference. All officers, councillors, and the council itself are fictional, though grounded in real UK local government practice. Last updated: 21 May 2026.
Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council (frequently abbreviated Crowthorpe MBC) is a fictional metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as part of the West Yorkshire Metropolitan County, retaining its functions as a unitary authority after the abolition of the county tier in 1986. The borough has a population of approximately 243,000 and is governed from Crowthorpe Town Hall under a Leader and Cabinet model. It is best known nationally for the May 2026 local election result, in which Reform UK won an overall majority of 12 seats.[1]
Overview
At a glance
Region
West Yorkshire
Population
243,000
Net revenue budget
£218M
Reserves
£42M (8 months)
Council Tax Band D
£1847
Staff
7,200
Type
Metropolitan Borough
Seats
60
Election cycle
All-out, four-yearly
Next election
May 2030
The council provides the full range of metropolitan borough services, including adult social care, children's services, education, housing, planning, environmental health, waste collection, and highways. It is the local highway authority for non-trunk roads. The council also operates Crowthorpe Lifestyle, a leisure trust providing pool and gym facilities, under a 20-year contract signed in 2023 that is widely understood to have been a strategic error.[2]
The borough comprises eight wards (see Wards) and is represented in Parliament by the Member of Parliament for Crowthorpe & Holme Valley, currently The Hon. Olivia Tregowan-Spence MP (Labour). The council shares its boundaries with Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council to the north, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council to the east, and the Peak District National Park to the south.
Recent history
Crowthorpe MBC has, since its formation in 1974, been controlled by the Labour Party continuously until the May 2026 election. The intervening decades produced no national headlines of particular note, except as noted below.
2019Lost High Court case over the Brindlecombe Town Hall sale (£3.2M legal costs)
2022Children's Services rated Requires Improvement by Ofsted (was Inadequate in 2019)
2023Signed 20-year contract with Crowthorpe Lifestyle (leisure trust) that nobody now thinks was a good idea
2024Town Centre Regeneration Programme broke ground — Phase 1 done, Phases 2 and 3 ahead
2026May 7: Reform UK swept Crowthorpe. Labour, who had run the council continuously since 1986, lost every seat they were defending. Six of the new Reform councillors had never held public office before.
2026May 21: After two weeks of chaos in group meetings — including the original Reform group leader's resignation over a 2017 Facebook post — you have been chosen as Leader. You are 34. Your day job is running a kitchen showroom in Aldworth. You have been a councillor for fourteen days.
This section is a stub. Future encyclopedia revisions will incorporate the outcomes of each player's term to expand canonical history.
Political composition
Following the elections of 7 May 2026, the council is in No Overall Control, with Reform UK as the largest party with an overall majority of 12. Labour's historic dominance ended with a complete wipeout — every defending Labour councillor lost their seat, leaving the party with a single councillor returned in Marsden Vale.[3]
Party
Seats
Change
Reform UK
36
+36
Green Party
9
+5
Liberal Democrats
7
+0
Conservative
4
-10
Independent
3
+1
Labour
1
-34
Required for overall majority: 31 seats.
Wards
The borough is divided into eight wards, each returning a number of councillors proportionate to population. Boundaries were last reviewed by the Local Government Boundary Commission in 2021.
Crowthorpe MBC ward boundaries, after the 2021 Local Government Boundary Commission review.
Crowthorpe Central
Crowthorpe MBC ward, established 1974
town centre, university-adjacent, mixed.
Marsden Vale
Crowthorpe MBC ward, established 1974
ex-mining, deprivation, ASC/SEND pressure.
St Cuthbert's
Crowthorpe MBC ward, established 1974
students and young professionals, Green-leaning.
Holme Bottom
Crowthorpe MBC ward, established 1974
post-industrial, mixed housing, swing ward.
Aldworth
Crowthorpe MBC ward, established 1974
leafy commuter, NIMBY, high council tax revenue.
Brindlecombe
Crowthorpe MBC ward, established 1974
regen heartland, mothballed library, contested.
Riverside
Crowthorpe MBC ward, established 1974
flood risk, new builds, transient.
Eastfield
Crowthorpe MBC ward, established 1974
new-build estate, unfinished section 106.
Officers
The council employs around 7,200 staff under the Head of Paid Service. The following are the senior officers most relevant to the council's strategic decision-making.
Margaret Holroyd
Role
Director of Finance
Type
officer
Known for
Section 151 Officer
Resignation risk
Yes (statutory or political)
Margaret Holroyd is Director of Finance of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Risk-averse. Cites the Prudential Code in conversation. Has worked here since 1998.[2]
Background
Holroyd has served as Section 151 Officer at Crowthorpe MBC since 1998, having previously held finance roles at Wakefield MDC and the West Yorkshire Pension Fund. She is a member of CIPFA and was awarded the President's Medal in 2019. Holroyd is, by colleagues' near-universal description, "the institutional memory of the council".
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate Holroyd as the council's most respected officer.[3]
Nigel Aspinall
Role
Chief Executive
Type
officer
Known for
Head of Paid Service
Resignation risk
Yes (statutory or political)
Nigel Aspinall is Chief Executive of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Smooth career officer. Ambitious for the council's national reputation. Got an OBE last year.[2]
Background
Aspinall joined Crowthorpe MBC as Chief Executive in 2017, having previously held senior roles at Bradford Council and the LGA. He was awarded the OBE in 2024 for services to local government. He sits on the boards of the Yorkshire Universities Partnership and the Crowthorpe Charitable Trust. Aspinall is reported to have, at various times, been approached by three other authorities about their Chief Executive vacancies; he has remained.
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate Aspinall as a smooth and effective executive, though some critics question his preference for high-profile projects.[3]
Dr Aman Begum
Role
Director of Children's Services
Type
officer
Known for
DCS
Resignation risk
Yes (statutory or political)
Dr Aman Begum is Director of Children's Services of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Idealistic, post-Ofsted Inadequate appointment in 2020. Quotes the safeguarding peer review.[2]
Background
Begum was appointed Director of Children's Services in 2020, following the Ofsted Inadequate judgement of the previous year. She holds a doctorate in social work from the University of Manchester. Her tenure has overseen a partial recovery to "Requires Improvement" but recruitment challenges remain.
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate Begum as the council's most dedicated senior officer, frequently described in inspection reports as "exemplary".[3]
Councillors
The following councillors hold formal or functional leadership roles in their respective groups.
Cllr Dev Khatri
Role
Leader of the Labour Group
Type
councillor
Known for
Labour Group Leader (was Deputy Council Leader until May 7)
Cllr Dev Khatri is Leader of the Labour Group of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Held on by 47 votes in Marsden Vale. Watches every meeting like he's writing your obituary.[2]
Background
Khatri has represented Marsden Vale for Labour since 2014. He was Deputy Council Leader from 2022 until the May 2026 election. He is one of one Labour councillor on Crowthorpe MBC; he has, since the May result, become the de facto opposition Leader despite the formal title resting with the Green group.
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate Khatri as the chamber's most persistent questioner.[3]
Cllr Wayne Garrity
Role
Reform Chief Whip
Type
councillor
Known for
Your Chief Whip
Resignation risk
Yes (statutory or political)
Cllr Wayne Garrity is Reform Chief Whip of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Ex-Labour, fourth-time councillor (jumped ship in 2024). The only Reform councillor with any local government experience. Competent and disconcertingly calm.[2]
Background
Garrity is the only currently serving Reform UK councillor on Crowthorpe MBC with prior elected experience. He represented Marsden Vale for Labour from 2002 to 2010, the Liberal Democrats from 2012 to 2018, and Independent from 2020 to 2024 before joining Reform. He is Chief Whip of the Reform group and widely regarded as its strategic operator.
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate Garrity as the most professional Reform councillor in the chamber.[3]
Dr Helena Voss-Mitchell
Role
Leader of the Green Group
Type
councillor
Known for
Green Leader
Dr Helena Voss-Mitchell is Leader of the Green Group of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Articulate ex-academic. Reads the constitution before meetings. Runs rings around your less-experienced backbenchers in chamber.[2]
Background
Voss-Mitchell is Senior Lecturer in Constitutional Law at Crowthorpe University and has represented St Cuthbert's for the Green Party since 2018. She is Group Leader since 2022. Her published academic work includes "Standing Orders and Procedural Capital in English Local Government".
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate Voss-Mitchell as the chamber's most procedurally formidable member.[3]
Cllr Janet Beaumont
Role
Leader of the Conservative Group
Type
councillor
Known for
Con Leader
Cllr Janet Beaumont is Leader of the Conservative Group of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Twenty-year veteran. Now leads a group of four. Stately disappointment is her default register.[2]
Background
Beaumont has represented Aldworth for the Conservative Party continuously since 2002. She served as Cabinet Member for Adult Services from 2010 to 2018 and as Council Leader from 2018 to 2020. She leads the Conservative Group of four following the 2026 election.
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate Beaumont as the chamber's most stately presence.[3]
Cllr Robin Halloway
Role
Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group
Type
councillor
Known for
LibDem Leader
Cllr Robin Halloway is Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Polite, technocratic, fond of detailed amendments and scrutiny work. Holds the C&S decision in his pocket at all times.[2]
Sarah Whitlock is Reporter, Crowthorpe Examiner of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Persistent, excellent FOI game. Knows the difference between a Cabinet Member and a Portfolio Holder, which makes her a national rarity.[2]
Background
Whitlock is the Local Democracy Reporter for the Crowthorpe Examiner. She joined the paper in 2017 after roles at the Manchester Evening News and the Lancashire Telegraph. She is a former Local Democracy Reporter of the Year (Yorkshire & Humber regional award, 2023).
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate Whitlock as Crowthorpe's most-trusted local journalist.[3]
External actors
The Hon. Olivia Tregowan-Spence MP
Role
MP for Crowthorpe & Holme Valley
Type
external
Known for
Labour MP
The Hon. Olivia Tregowan-Spence MP is MP for Crowthorpe & Holme Valley of Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council.[1] Labour. Two-term incumbent who held on in 2024 by 412 votes. Plays to the gallery. Recently appointed to the Public Accounts Committee, which she mentions a lot.[2]
Background
Tregowan-Spence has represented Crowthorpe & Holme Valley in Parliament since 2017. She was a junior minister at the Department for Education from 2022 to 2024 and was elected to the Public Accounts Committee in 2025. She holds a majority of 412 votes.
Reputation
Holroyd-Whitlock surveys consistently rate MP highly across constituency engagement and visibility.[3]
Strategic dossiers
The council's Strategic Risk Register identifies seven ongoing strategic dossiers, each tracked across the four-year electoral cycle. These are the focus of much of the council's most-significant decision-making.
Equal Pay Liability
Crowthorpe MBC strategic risk register — chip: EQUAL PAY
Inherited claim from comparable-work case. Tribunal hearings scheduled Q3.
Background
Inspired by Birmingham City Council 2023 — £760M–£1.15bn equal pay liability triggered Section 114.
Possible outcomes
Resolved: Settled via negotiated lump sum, no court ruling.
Catastrophic: Court ruled against the council. Liability now £62M, no insurance cover.
Town Centre Regeneration
Crowthorpe MBC strategic risk register — chip: REGEN
Phase 2 on site. Anchor tenant signed but rumoured wobbly. Borrowing 14× annual debt-service capacity.
Background
Inspired by Woking BC 2023 (Victoria Square £1.9bn debt → Section 114) + Croydon Brick by Brick (2020).
Resolved: Routes rebid, recycling up to 48%, no disputes.
Catastrophic: Indefinite strike. Bin bags piling up on Marsden Vale Road. National news.
Notable institutions
Crowthorpe Examiner — Local paper, Sarah Whitlock's beat.
Crowthorpe Lifestyle — Leisure trust on a 20-year contract.
St Cuthbert's General — Hospital you don't run but whose A&E waits are blamed on you.
Crowthorpe College — FE college, separate body; Leader sits on the board.
Marsden Vale Working Men's Club — Where Brian Tetlow holds court.
The Old Library, Brindlecombe — Grade II listed, mothballed, eternal political football.
Crowthorpe Metropolitan Borough Council, all officers and councillors named on this page, and Crowthorpe itself, are fictional. The council is set in a parallel West Yorkshire that exists for narrative purposes only. The decisions players make in Can You Lead a Council? are inspired by real UK council news from 2019 to 2026; the cast and council are not.
