The Conservative leader of South Gloucestershire Council will step down in May after upcoming local elections. Councillor Toby Savage has led the council for five years but said he has had a “promotion” after the birth of his second child in February.
Cllr Savage has represented the Longwell Green ward since 2015, but decided not to stand for re-election so he could dedicate more time to his young family. He will lead the Conservatives in South Gloucestershire into the elections on May 4, when a new leader will then be chosen.
The new leader of the Conservative group will be decided straight after the elections. But it depends on the results of those elections whether the Tories will win another term in office, or if voters choose to boot them out with a possible coalition of Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors.
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Cllr Savage said: “I have recently been given a promotion to dad-of-two and will therefore be standing down from South Gloucestershire Council at the forthcoming elections on May 4. I have been council leader for just under five years, and it has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve the area in which I was born and brought up.
“These past years have been unprecedented and exhausting. We have led the local responses to a global pandemic, a war and a worldwide cost of living crisis. But we have also stayed true to the promises we were elected on four years ago.
“Throughout all of this I have been honoured to work with extraordinary people both inside and outside the council, who serve local people with dedication and distinction. I am proud to be leaving at a time of record high performance for the council on school standards, recycling and investments into our communities, to name just a few.”
During his time leading the council, recycling rates in South Gloucestershire have shot up, and the £200 million Metrobus scheme was launched marking a huge improvement to rapid bus routes. But Cllr Savage also faced criticism from many in Thornbury due to changes to the town’s high street, and very publicly fell out with the Labour West of England metro mayor Dan Norris.
Cllr Savage added: “During my first three years as council leader, I was in the fortunate position of being able to throw myself entirely into my passion for public service. That changed in 2021 with the birth of my son Laurie, now aged two, and then again with the arrival of my daughter Dorothy last month.
“I have realised how precious these first few years are and I am excited about having more time to dedicate to my growing family. I look forward to continuing as councillor for Longwell Green and council leader until May 4. We have a strong record going into these local elections and the Conservatives are the only party with a positive plan for our area’s future.
“I wish my successor all the very best. I have been deeply honoured to have spent the last five years in public service and I hope to return to it one day in the future.”
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