Richard Clewer announced as new Leader of Wiltshire Council
It was confirmed at a meeting this morning (Tuesday 18th May)
It has been announced that Cllr Richard Clewer is the new Leader of Wiltshire Council.
He replaces the outgoing Philip Whitehead who stepped down last week to concentrate on the ward he represents.
Mr Clewer has been been a Wiltshire Councillor since it's creation in 2009 for the Downton and Ebble ward and had the role of Deputy Leader to Cllr Whitehead.
He also runs Magister Militum, a company based in Redlynch which manufactures and imports wargaming figurines.
Richard's wife Zoe is also a councillor in Wiltshire, for Redlynch and Landford.
Cllr Laura Mayes has been confirmed as Deputy Leader with responsibility for Children's Services, Education and Skills.
Other appointments include:
- Cllr Pauline Church, Cabinet Member for Finance & Procurement, Commissioning, IT, Digital and Commercialisation
- Cllr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste, Street Scene and Flooding
- Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Libraries, Governance, Facilities Management and Operational Assets
- Cllr Robert Yuill, Portfolio Holder for Housing
- Cllr Sven Hocking, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Libraries
Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said:
"It is a huge honour to be given this responsibility and I'm privileged to lead Wiltshire Council and represent its residents. People can be assured my team and I will work tirelessly to ensure this council delivers for them.
"I'd like to thank my predecessor Cllr Philip Whitehead for expertly and sensitively steering the council and county through the most challenging of times during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought out the very best in people and our communities. It has demonstrated that the foundations are in place for us to feel optimistic about the future.
"I've picked a talented team of people as my Cabinet and Portfolio Holders and we're all looking forward to working with the council's leadership team and officers to help achieve our collective vision.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us to help Wiltshire recover following COVID-19 and its undoubted impact going forward, but we will support residents and businesses to thrive so that Wiltshire continues to provide opportunities and be a place that people want to live, work, and visit.
"As well as the recovery work, the climate emergency will rightly continue to be at the heart of our decision making."
It was confirmed at a council meeting this morning, the first in person one since the pandemic.
At the same time, Cllr Stuart Wheeler was appointed as Chair of the Council, and the Vice Chair was confirmed as Cllr James Sheppard.