Council leader to stand down in May 2017
The leader of Chesterfield Borough Council has announced he is to stand down from his position in May next year.
Councillor John Burrows has been planning his retirement from the role for some time, although will remain a borough councillor.
Following a meeting of the council’s ruling Labour group Councillor Tricia Gilby has been chosen as the leader elect. She will shadow Councillor Burrows until he formally hands over power to ensure a smooth transition to the new leadership.
Councillor Amanda Serjeant has been selected as deputy leader elect and she will shadow Councillor Terry Gilby, who has also decided to stand down next May from his deputy leader role. Councillor Serjeant is currently cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy.
Councillor John Burrows said:-
“For a long time I have been putting succession opportunities in place so that I can handover to a new leader in a structured way.
“Being council leader is a demanding job and it’s time for someone younger than me to take over. Councillor Tricia Gilby and her deputy, Amanda Serjeant, bring that to these roles but are also both experienced politicians able to provide the quality leadership needed to ensure Chesterfield continues to punch above its weight in terms of delivering for residents, visitors and local businesses.
“It has been an enormous privilege to be council leader, representing my home town and the wonderful people who live here.
“Until May it is business as usual, after then I will serve out the remaining two years of my term as a councillor serving the communities in Brimington North.”
Councillor Tricia Gilby is currently chair of Chesterfield Borough Council’s enterprise and wellbeing and overview and performance scrutiny committees. She is also a serving county councillor.
She said:-
“It is an honour and a privilege to be selected as leader elect.
“I’d like to pay tribute to John Burrows, who has devoted his life to serving others and has been a magnificent council leader.
“He has always said that Chesterfield is ‘on the up’ and under his leadership, projects including the refurbishment of the Market Hall, the opening of the Customer Service Centre, the new Queen’s Park Sports Centre and the new Parkside older persons’ accommodation have all come to fruition.
“I intend to build on John’s legacy and work to make Chesterfield a thriving borough for our residents and local businesses.”
At a full council meeting on Wednesday (14 December) Councillor John Burrows will formally announce his last cabinet that will remain in place until he steps down in May 2017.
