Bradley to step down as leader of Nottinghamshire County Council
Ben Bradley, the former Conservative MP who also lost the race to become the first directly-elected Mayor of the East Midlands, is set to step down as leader of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Bradley informed his fellow councillors at a meeting on Wednesday afternoon (November 6), saying he had endured a “challenging” two year after after his double election defeats.
He will step down and a new leader of the council will be appointed on December 5. County Council elections are scheduled to take place next May – but Bradley will not defend his Mansfield North seat.
Bradley said: “He said: “During my almost four years as Leader, I am proud that Nottinghamshire and Nottinghamshire County Council demonstrated significant influence in the national agenda, helping us to secure major new investment in the form of the East Midlands Combined Authority and billions of associated new funding, and the STEP Fusion Energy project in the North of the County that will create thousands of new jobs and training opportunities for local people, along with significant new investment and infrastructure to support clean energy research.
“These are long-term projects with multi-generational impact, that will truly make a difference for local communities. They’ve also helped us to grow the reputation of Nottinghamshire and NCC, as somewhere that is a good partner to work with and is open for business.
“The Council has worked hard to deliver significant service transformation and improvement, particularly across Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, which has put us in good stead for the future.
“I am incredibly proud of our record of delivering new schools, SEND places, and continuing to push forward with an extensive programme of capital investment in our county, despite the financial pressures across Local Government.
“In each year and each Budget during my tenure Nottinghamshire County Council has delivered better value for money for local people relative to other Councils. It has been a pleasure and an honour to lead the Council for almost four years, but now the time is right to move on.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that Bradley could attempt to become the first directly-elected Mayor of Lincolnshire, the elections for which are due to be held next May.
