Leader of Gloucestershire council to step down after 14 years

The leader of Gloucestershire County Council has announced his decision to stand down after 14 years.

Mark Hawthorne has announced that he will be standing down as leader of the council in September.

Mark will continue in the role until a new leader is elected at a full council meeting in September and will carry on representing the people of Quedgeley until the elections next year.

Mark will not be seeking re-election at next year’s county council elections so has decided to stand down as leader now so he can support a smooth transition to a new leader and ensure his vast organisational knowledge and experience are not lost.

Mark was first elected as a county councillor in 2009 and appointed as cabinet member for environment by then leader of the council Barry Dare, before being elected as leader of the council in 2010.

Prior to his election to the county council, Mark served as leader of Gloucester City Council between 2004 and 2007.

Mark’s passion and commitment for the city and the county as a whole has been clear to everyone he’s worked with and all those he has represented.

During his time in office, Mark has established Gloucestershire on the national stage through his role as chair of the Conservative Councillors Association, deputy chair of the county council’s network and digital champion on the Local Government Association, having previously chaired the People and Place Board.

As a founding member of the Western Gateway, Mark has worked tirelessly to position Gloucestershire as a key player across the region and, through his role on the Local Enterprise Partnership Board has helped secure a billion-pound pipeline of national investment to deliver a range of significant infrastructure schemes and projects across the county – helping to achieve an ever more successful and prosperous Gloucestershire.

Mark was also instrumental in securing Stage 7 of last year’s Tour of Britain for the county, showcasing to the world all that Gloucestershire has to offer.

Mark also helped to navigate the county through the covid-19 pandemic, the period of national mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and challenging financial times.

As well as successfully spearheading the lobbying effort which resulted in national funding being secured for the A417 missing link scheme, work on which is now well underway, since he became Leader, Mark has always championed funding for local highways issues.

This has seen more than £250m committed to improving the county’s roads and each county councillor being allocated a share of a multi-million pound pot to support works in their local area.

Mark’s focus has always been on doing all he can to support Gloucestershire communities and helping them to aim higher and achieve more.

This focus was showcased through his work to deliver the Big Community Offer, which handed some council buildings and services to local communities and through the distribution of more than £2 million to local groups through different levelling up funds.

For many years Mark has been a vocal ambassador for better rural broadband, something that has significantly improved as part of the Fastershire programme.

More recently, Mark has taken on the public health portfolio, alongside his leader responsibilities and has become a passionate advocate for this area of work.

Peter Bungard, chief executive of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Mark’s ability to lead the council successfully and effectively for as long as he has is testament to his leadership qualities; his drive, commitment, and the high regard he is held in by councillors and officers alike. Mark has the rare ability to effectively bring together people from all walks of life and get them working and delivering towards achieving a common goal.”

Mark Hawthorne said: “It has been an enormous privilege to lead this council for the past 14 years. Whilst deciding to take a step back has not been easy, I am looking forward to all that life after being Leader has to offer.

“I will do all I can to support the new Leader to hit the ground running and will continue to represent the people of Quedgeley until the elections next year.

“It has been an honour to meet so many members of Gloucestershire communities over the years; to hear what is important to them; what is impacting on their lives and to do everything possible to address them.

“I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved on behalf of the county, but I have been particularly pleased at the progress we have made on driving forwards the green agenda and for the transformation we have delivered across many of our services. The commitment and effort I have witnessed first-hand during my years as Leader means I am confident that services will continue to go from strength to strength.

“It has not always been easy, in fact we have faced some incredibly challenging times, but it has always been rewarding and it has always been an honour.”

Mark has also announced that he will, at their next group meeting, be stepping down as leader of the Conservative Group. It is expected that a new group leader will be elected at the same meeting.