Councillor Doug Rathbone made mayor at Kendal Town Hall | The Westmorland Gazette thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Changes in political colour, internal rows and natural churn have prompted a wave of new leaders to take control in some of the biggest and most well known councils across England.
Kevin Bentley (Con) has replaced long-serving leader
David Finch (Con) as leader of Essex CC, after Cllr Finch decided not to run for re-election. Cllr Bentley, who is well known in local government circles as chair of the Local Government Association’s people and places board and former chair of its Brexit taskforce, has already set out his new cabinet’s agenda, built on “three guiding principles of ambition, renewal and equality”.
NEW Mayor of Kendal Douglas Rathbone Kendal Town Council has elected Cllr Douglas Rathbone to serve as Mayor of Kendal for the coming year. Cllr Rathbone, who serves the town council’s Heron Hill Ward, was first elected in 2018 and has previously served as chairman of the council’s planning committee. Cllr Rathbone also serves as the district councillor for Kendal South and Natland. He succeeded Alvin Finch at Tuesday night’s Kendal Town Council meeting and was seconded by Cllr Andy Blackman. Due to Covid restrictions, the regular mayoral investiture will be scaled back. In a break with tradition, the meeting was held virtually, just like every other meeting since April 2020.