Brentwood: Kendall steps down as Lib Dem leader
After six years, Cllr David Kendall last night stepped down as leader of the Liberal Democrats on Brentwood Borough Council. He said:
""Following my re-election as the County Councillor for the Brentwood South Division l have decided that after six years of being leader of the Lib Dem group on Brentwood Borough Council, now is a good time to stand down and pass the baton on to one of my colleagues.
"My commitment to my residents as a County and a Borough councillor remains as strong as ever but I want to get more balance in my life and spend more time on my family and work commitments. l believe that stepping down now as Leader will enable that to happen.
"I am very proud to have led the Lib Dem group and help them grow into an effective force that has held the Conservatives to account on issue after issue. Being leader has been a tough but a very enjoyable experience and I go with many happy memories. I now look forward to working with the new leader and playing an active role in taking the group forward."
Following a democratic election process at the first group meeting of the year (at which all Lib Dem councillors were able to stand for the roles of Leader and Deputy Leader) Cllr Barry Aspinell (Pilgrims Hatch) was unanimously elected leader, stepping up from Deputy Leader to Leader, and paid tribute to Cllr Kendall:
"David has been a highly successful leader and has steered us through some difficult times and has left us in one of our strongest positions yet with the Tories poised to lose control of the council. We have a very strong group of talented councillors who will continue to hold the Tories to account.
"We all tried to convince David to stay but, I understand his personal reasons for leaving the post to concentrate on his family, business, county and borough councillor roles.
"For me, I will be continuing his good work as we move in to interesting times in Brentwood."
The leadership team is completed by Shenfield's Cllr Graeme Clark as Deputy Leader and Cllr Karen Chilvers (Brentwood West) has been offered the Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Panel (subject to ratification at full council).
Cllr Aspinell concluded:
"We have an amazing team of councillors bringing all manner of experience and expertise to the table that make us a force to be reckoned with and one that will continue to stand up for the residents of Brentwood."
