Deputy Leader of the Opposition on the Council Quits
Andrew Dinsmore is moving out of London after starting a family
Andrew Dinsmore
May 19, 2025
Hammersmith and Fulham Conservative councillor and Opposition Deputy Leader Andrew Dinsmore has stepped down due to leaving the capital after becoming a father.
Mr Dinsmore, who was also a General Election candidate last year in Hammersmith and Chiswick, thanked his Conservative colleagues “who have been a fantastic support to me throughout my time as a councillor”.
A commercial barrister by trade, Mr Dinsmore was elected as a Fulham Town councillor in 2022.
During his time on the local authority, he has sat on the Social Inclusion and Community Safety Policy and Accountability Committee and served as the Opposition Deputy Leader.
Mr Dinsmore told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), “Following my recently becoming a father, my wife and I moved out of London to be closer to family support. As a result, I felt that I was unable to perform my duties as a councillor to the standard that residents deserve.”
Mr Dinsmore added he is “delighted to hand the baton” to the Tory candidate for his seat, Liam Downer-Sanderson, who he said would be an “excellent councillor for Fulham Town”.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my Conservative colleagues in Hammersmith and Fulham who have been a fantastic support to me throughout my time as a councillor,” he said. “I have no doubt that they will take over administration of the council next year and I shall do all that I can to support them in doing so.”
Asked about his proudest achievements since being elected, Mr Dinsmore pointed to examples including his running of a petition to ban the sale of machetes online which drew 140,000 signatures and representing Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick in a dispute with the Sentencing Council.
He also mentioned his selection as the Conservative candidate for Hammersmith and Chiswick at last year’s General Election, when he came a distant second to Labour’s Andy Slaughter.
Mr Dinsmore’s end of term is listed on Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s website as 15 May. A date is yet to be set for a by-election, though is expected to be announced for the end of June or early July.
Cllr Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler, also a Conservative, is the other Fulham Town representative.
The by-election for Mr Dinsmore’s seat will be the third in the borough this year.
Two former Labour councillors, Emma Apthorp and Ben Coleman, the latter being MP for Chelsea and Fulham, stood down from their roles with the local authority in January. Both seats were retained by Labour candidates at the by-elections the following month.
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter