Councillor Paul de Kort re-elected as Leader
Councillor Paul de Kort has been re-elected Leader of St Albans City and District Council with Councillor Helen Campbell as his deputy.
Cllr de Kort was voted to the role for the third year in succession at the annual meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday 27 May.
He will chair the Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee which has lead responsibility for financial strategy, corporate assets and external engagement.
In addition, he will chair the Planning Policy and Climate Committee which oversees the progress of the Local Plan (LP)) and efforts to tackle the climate emergency.
Among the major issues he will deal with in the year ahead are the adoption of the LP and the reorganisation of local government across Hertfordshire.
Cllr De Kort represents Harpenden East ward and has been a Councillor since 2021. He said after the meeting:
I am excited to have been voted Leader again by my fellow Councillors.
We face another challenging year, working on behalf of our residents to make St Albans District an even better place to live and work.
Soon, we expect our Local Plan – a blueprint for the District’s sustainable growth – will pass its examination by independent inspectors and come into full effect.
This will help create jobs, homes and infrastructure such as schools, public transport, green spaces and health facilities. It will also guard our communities against speculative planning applications by developers.
During the next 12 months, I will be working with colleagues across the county on the Government’s required reorganisation of local government which will result in the creation of new unitary authorities.
We will also remain committed to improving our local environment, promoting inclusive communities and ensuring that our leisure and cultural offering remains at a very high level.
The Council meeting also agreed to the re-appointment of four other Lead Councillors and one new appointment.
Each has a wide range of responsibilities and they are:
Councillor Helen Campbell: Deputy Leader, Chair of the Public Realm Committee and Lead for car parking, parks and leisure.
Councillor Edgar Hill: Vice-Chair of the Public Realm Committee and Lead for events, heritage, waste and recycling.
Councillor Giles Fry: Vice-Chair of the Strategy and Resources Committee and Lead for resources.
Councillor Simon Johns: Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee and Lead for housing services and homelessness.
Councillor Sarwar Shamsher: Vice-Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee and Lead for equality, inclusion and community safety.
Councillor Keith Cotton: joins the leadership group for the first time and is Vice-Chair of the Planning Policy and Climate Committee and Lead for sustainability and climate.
Media Contacts: www.stalbans.gov.uk/news-and-whats.