Rodney Chambers
Rodney Chambers OBE is a former Conservative councillor for Hempstead and Wigmore ward and a former leader of Medway council. He represented Hempstead and Wigmore ward between May 2003 and May 2023.
Photo: Medway council
Rodney has stood in 13 elections in Medway. He has been elected on 11 occasions.
Political Career
Rodney has served in the following posts:
Council Leadership
Medway Council
Gillingham Borough Council
Kent County Council
Some of Medway's current and former representatives have also represented other parts of the country in local government, devolved assemblies and both houses of parliament. Where possible, we have tried to include parliamentary roles in other parts of the country in this section, but owing to the time and research involved, some of this data may require updating.
Committee Memberships
Rodney has served on the following committees:
Medway Council
| Cabinet | ||
|
Inward Investment, Strategic Regeneration and Partnerships May 2015 - May 2023 |
81.4% | |
|
Leader of the Council Oct 2001 - May 2015 |
84.5% | |
With the exception of the council, committee terms shown are calculated by reference to the first and last attendance recorded for Rodney. Cabinet terms are only available from March 2010 onwards. Click on the name of a committee above to see all its members and find out what role the committee plays on the council.
Attendance at Council Meetings
The full council meets six times a year and, unless there are extenuating circumstances, all councillors are expected to attend these meetings.
Rodney's attendance record for full council meetings is as follows:
Council attendance records are only available from October 2001 onwards. Click on a term to see how Rodney Chambers's attendance compared to the other councillors for that term.
* During the 2020 coronavirus (Covid-19) public health emergency, it was informally agreed between the two political groups to run Medway Council meetings with a reduced number of participants. This was to reduce risk, comply with Government guidance and enable more efficient meetings. Rodney Chambers's attendance rate may have been affected by this informal agreement of reduced participants.
Attendance at Cabinet Meetings
The cabinet is the council's executive branch, responsible for proposing the policy framework and budget to the rest of the council and for taking decisions on resources and priorities throughout the year.
Rodney's attendance record for cabinet meetings is as follows:
Cabinet attendance records are only available from March 2010 onwards. Click on a term to see how Rodney Chambers's attendance compared to the other members of the cabinet for that term.
* During the 2020 coronavirus (Covid-19) public health emergency, it was informally agreed between the two political groups to run Medway Council meetings with a reduced number of participants. This was to reduce risk, comply with Government guidance and enable more efficient meetings. Rodney Chambers's attendance rate may have been affected by this informal agreement of reduced participants.
Attendance at Committee Meetings
Councillors usually sit on a number of scrutiny or decision-making committees. Additionally, they may substitute for another member of a committee who is unable to make a meeting.
Rodney's attendance record for these committee meetings is as follows:
Attendance as a substitute member of a committee is not included in the calculation of the attendance rate. Committee attendance records are only available from October 2001 onwards. Click on a term to see how Rodney Chambers's attendance compared to the other councillors for that term.
* During the 2020 coronavirus (Covid-19) public health emergency, it was informally agreed between the two political groups to run Medway Council meetings with a reduced number of participants. This was to reduce risk, comply with Government guidance and enable more efficient meetings. Rodney Chambers's attendance rate may have been affected by this informal agreement of reduced participants.
We are still working on adding historic attendance records to our database. The earliest council meeting we have attendance data for is that held on 13 November 2008. The earliest committee meeting we have attendance data for is that held on 21 November 2007. Please bear with us while we work back to the earliest data available.
Councillors' Allowances
All councillors are entitled to a basic allowance and to claim for certain travel and subsistence expenses. Some councillors have special responsibilities (e.g. a cabinet portfolio or chairing a committee) and receive an additional allowance.
The amount Rodney received each year in allowances and expenses was:
| 2023/2024 | £3,115.92 | |
| Basic allowance | £1,233.77 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £1,850.65 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £31.50 |
| 2019/2020 | £25,839.00 | |
| Basic allowance | £10,286.00 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £15,198.00 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £355.00 |
| 2017/2018 | £20,147.00 | |
| Basic allowance | £8,889.00 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £11,189.00 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £69.00 |
| 2015/2016 | £22,169.00 | |
| Basic allowance | £8,783.00 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £13,355.00 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £31.00 |
| 2009/2010 | £35,732.12 | |
| Basic allowance | £9,025.20 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £26,507.52 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £199.40 |
| 2007/2008 | £34,376.47 | |
| Basic allowance | £8,696.64 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £25,336.73 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £343.10 |
| 2005/2006 | £33,068.52 | |
| Basic allowance | £8,243.40 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £24,213.24 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £611.88 |
| Total | £539,027.83 | |
| Basic allowance | £166,939.89 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £369,679.15 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £2,408.79 |
Allowances information is only available from 2005 onwards. Click on a year to see how Rodney Chambers's allowances compared to the other councillors for that year.
Voting History
Most decisions taken by councillors at meetings of the full council are made by unanimous agreement or, if the decision is disputed, by show of hands. However, the council's constitution states that in certain circumstances, or if six or more members request, a "recorded vote" may be taken, where each councillor's vote is recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
The votes recorded for Rodney are as follows:
2019 to 2023
|
Council: Campaign for Hoo Peninsula to Become Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty 8 Oct 2020 |
||
| Rodney Chambers voted against |
2015 to 2019
|
Pentagon Centre Purchase (Amendment): Obtain Two Further Independent Valuations 21 Feb 2019 |
||
| Rodney Chambers voted against |
|
Council: Support the Co-operative Party's Charter Against Modern Slavery (Amendment) 24 Jan 2019 |
||
| Rodney Chambers voted in favour |
|
Council: Complete SEN Review by End of July and Share Conclusions Publicly 19 Jul 2018 |
||
| Rodney Chambers was absent from the vote |
|
Additions to the Revenue Budget and Capital Programme 26 Apr 2018 |
||
| Rodney Chambers was absent from the vote |
|
Council: Explore Options to Tackle Knife Crime (Amendment) 25 Jan 2018 |
||
| Rodney Chambers voted in favour |
|
Establishment of Committees, Appointments and Schedule of Meetings 2017/2018 (Amendment) 27 Apr 2017 |
||
| Rodney Chambers voted against |
|
Council: Reduce Time to Trigger Severe Weather Emergency Protocol 26 Jan 2017 |
||
| Rodney Chambers voted against |
|
Government: Reverse Planned Changes to Education (Amendment) 28 Apr 2016 |
||
| Rodney Chambers was absent from the vote |
2011 to 2015
|
Chatham Waterfront Bus Station: Capital Programme 15 Sep 2011 |
||
| Rodney Chambers was absent from the vote |
2007 to 2011
|
Council: Introduce Free Bus Travel for Under-18s (Amendment) 14 Jan 2010 |
||
| Rodney Chambers voted against |
2003 to 2007
|
Council: Stop School Closures and Develop Medway-wide School Strategy 8 Dec 2005 |
||
| Rodney Chambers voted against |
|
Council: Make Arrangements to Enable Registration of Civil Partnerships 3 Nov 2005 |
||
| Rodney Chambers abstained |
2000 to 2003
Recorded votes are only available from December 2001 onwards. Click on a vote to see the full details of the motion and how the other councillors voted.
Electoral History
Rodney has stood in the following elections in Medway:
Medway Council
Gillingham Borough Council
Kent County Council
A green bar on the right hand side of the result indicates that Rodney Chambers was elected, while a red bar indicates they were not elected. Click on a card to see the full results for that election.
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