Cllr Stephen Davies was elected as the new Leader of Gloucestershire County Council.
Cllr Davies takes over from Cllr Mark Hawthorne who announced in July that after 14 years leading the council he had decided to stand down.
Having first been elected to the county council as councillor for the Hardwicke and Severn division in May 2017, Stephen was appointed Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years in May 2021. Stephen also served as leader of the Conservative group on Stroud District Council until February 2023.
Stephen worked in the technology sector for 40 years in a range of technical, sales and management roles. He specialised in the development of strong partnerships with customers and other organisations, skills he is looking forward to bringing to his new role.
As part of his acceptance speech, Stephen paid tribute to Cllr Hawthorne for all that he had achieved during his 14 years as leader and for being a true champion for Gloucestershire both locally and nationally, which had helped the county punch above its weight time and time again.
Cllr Davies, Leader of the Council, said: “Mark’s commitment and dedication to the county has been unwavering throughout his time in office and he should be proud of the council and the county he has helped create. Mark is the staunchest of supporters for all things Gloucestershire and the county is a better place because of him.
“I am really pleased that Mark has agreed to continue to play a key role within the council as Cabinet Member for Public Health and I look forward to continuing working with him.”
Cllr Davies went on to set out his priorities for the remainder of the council term. These are:
- Continue to improve the county’s roads – building on the progress that has been achieved in recent years, including making sure information and engagement with residents continue to get better
- Stand up for communities – making sure where new housing is being proposed that the impact on roads, schools and other key services is well understood and the necessary financial investment is committed to address it
- Make sure the council continues to operate in a financially responsible way – prioritising investment into those areas that will have the greatest impact on the lives of Gloucestershire residents
- Take action to improve our SEND response in the face of rising demand – work harder and smarter to support young people with SEND and their families to access the support and services they need
- Support the adults that need our help the most – make it easier for adults and those supporting them to access the care or support they need and to help people to begin to think about the years ahead and what their needs may be
- Deliver continuous improvement – making sure council services continue to evolve a mindset where they are always looking for ways to deliver a better, more efficient services that achieve better outcomes for Gloucestershire residents
In announcing his cabinet, Cllr Davies has prioritised stability and the retention of knowledge and expertise, with the only new appointment being Cllr Paul McLain to his previous brief.
· Cllr Stephan Fifield, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transformation and Change
· Cllr Lynden Stowe, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Resources
· Cllr Paul McLain, Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years
· Cllr David Gray, Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning
· Cllr Dom Morris, Cabinet Member for Highways and Flood
· Cllr Carole Allaway-Martin, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care
· Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Cabinet Member for Public Health
· Cllr Philip Robinson, Cabinet Member for Education and Bus Transport
· Cllr Dave Norman, Cabinet Member for Fire, Community Safety and Libraries
Cllr Davies, Leader of the Council, said: “It is a great honour to be elected leader of this fantastic council. As Leader I am committed to continuing the long and successful track record this council has of being financially stable, responsible, and well-run. I look forward to developing strong working relationships with other local councils, the voluntary sector, health colleagues, businesses, and central government to make sure we are collectively delivering the best for Gloucestershire.
“As well as acknowledging Mark’s dedication and commitment I want to thank Cllr Stowe for the extensive knowledge and expertise he has brought to the cabinet as Deputy Leader. As Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Resources, Lynden will continue to play a vital role in the future success of the council.
“We have invested heavily in our roads and last year we resurfaced 212 roads and filled 50,000 potholes filled, but I want more residents to feel the benefit of that investment. By challenging our contractors to work smarter and more efficiently I am confident we will deliver an increasing number of better roads. We are already seeing signs of this, but I know there is more to be done.
“Whilst I support the delivery of more housing in the county it must come with the infrastructure that makes it sustainable. We will be unwavering in pursuing this approach. There has to be government investment in roads, schools, and other vital services where housing development is being proposed.
“To make sure we are doing all we can to make accessing advice, information, and services as easy as possible for the adults and children that rely on us the most, we will look at how we currently do things and where we can do better. I want to make sure we are helping them to access what they need now but also to plan for what they may need in the future.
“Gloucestershire is already a place we can be proud of, but we know we can always do better and that will be my focus over the months ahead.”
