A Labour councillor in Wirral is standing down just over a year after he was first elected.
Cllr Dave Brennan, who was elected in Liscard last May, said he has vacated the seat for personal reasons and will continue to campaign for the Labour Party. Cllr Brennan said: “It has been an honour to represent the people of Liscard since May 2021 and to work with members of the branch as well as my fellow ward councillors Daisy [Kenny] and Jan [Williamson, leader of Wirral Council ].
“My reasons are mostly personal. As a family we have suffered a couple of recent bereavements since I was selected.
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“Sadly, we also have more close family members with serious health issues in need of support. I have a large number of work commitments over the next year which will mean that my spare time will be very limited.
“I have therefore made the choice to prioritise spending this time with my family. I would like to thank members of the Liscard branch for selecting me in 2019 and for all the hard work put in at the elections since then.”
Cllr Brennan’s decision leaves Labour on just 25 of Wirral Council’s 66 seats, just one ahead of the Conservatives and well short of a majority. A by-election will be held to elect a new councillor in Liscard, in a vote which is set to take place either in August or September.
Liscard is currently a safe seat for Labour and the party will be expecting to hold it when voters go to the polls. Yet the very low turnout we often see at council by-elections makes the vote more unpredictable than the Liscard ward may be as part of a normal set of local elections.
Cllr Janette Williamson, the Labour leader of Wirral Council, said: “It's been a pleasure to have worked with David in Liscard, and we are sorry to see him go. I know this has been a difficult time for him and as a Labour group we thank him for his hard work and wish him every success in the future.”
