Tony Davey has stood down as Mayor of Stroud after describing his time in the role as “both impactful and rewarding”.
Cllr Davey said he had considered not serving an additional term but chose to remain in the role to support Stroud District Council through the move to its new offices, the arrival of its new chief executive and the planned transition towards a new unitary authority.
Reflecting on his time as Mayor, Cllr Davey said the role had given him the opportunity to meet more members of the community and gain a greater understanding of how local organisations and residents support each other.
In a post on social media, Cllr Davey said: “Whilst rarely without its challenges, I have found my role as Mayor of Stroud to be both impactful and rewarding. It has given me the opportunity to meet so many more members of our community, better understand the way our community works and supports each other, and support our brilliant Officer team to deliver impactful outcomes for our communities. I have met so many people through civic engagements that I would not otherwise have met, and my understanding and appreciation has been enriched through each interaction.”
One of Cllr Davey’s aims during his time in office was to improve communication around the work of the council and make the workings of local government easier for residents to understand.
He said his weekly blogs had helped make progress towards that goal.
“I set myself a goal to work to de-mystify the workings of local government through clearer and concise communications, and sharing more of our work and the steps taken that get us to where we are. That task will never be complete, but I feel (and engagement reflects) some good progress has been made through my weekly blogs. The Council’s Comms Team achieve far, far more than I have, and that work will continue far beyond my departure.”
Cllr Davey revealed that he had considered stepping down earlier, but decided to remain in the role to help the council through a period of significant change.
“I had considered not serving this extra term this year, but felt it better to remain and support our Council in the final transition to our new offices, for our new CEO to become embedded into the organisation, and to help the early transition into the new Unitary Authority model. Whilst Local Government Reorganisation has been temporarily suspended, our work goes on. Our new CEO has settled into the role brilliantly and we are now relocated into our new offices and making them our own.”
Cllr Davey also explained the timing behind his decision to stand down now, pointing to the council’s budget-setting timetable and the annual election of a new Mayor.
“A quirk of local government calendars means that budget setting commences for the next civic year now, with budgets finalised around February/March, then being implemented from April; but annual elections for a new Mayor would take place in May and the elected Mayor takes the budget set prior to their appointment. We can’t change that, but it does seem a little unfair. By enabling a new Mayor to be elected by the Councillors now, it increases the chance of the appointed Mayor being the one leading the collaboration to get a fair and effective budget for the civic year ahead; a year they (hopefully) will lead.”
Cllr Davey thanked fellow councillors, his deputy mayors and council officers for their support during his term.
“I would like to thank every Councillor for the support they have given me in my role, and especially Cllrs Fenton and Stinton who, as Deputy Mayors, their support has been immeasurably impactful and valued. Our Officer team are brilliant and have embraced every challenge, the move of offices, and the restructuring implemented over the term. Every one plays a vital role in making amazing things happen for our community, so many of which are not necessarily visible to the public. Both Officers and Councillors – their dedication is humbling.”
Concluding his statement, Cllr Davey thanked those who had given him the opportunity to serve as Mayor of Stroud.
“I thank everyone involved for giving me the opportunity to represent the people of Stroud as Mayor, and I look forward to seeing our communities continue to thrive, supported by our local representatives and the teams behind them.”
