Cllr Stephen Davies has been elected as the new Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, taking over from Cllr Mark Hawthorne who announced in July that after 14 years leading the council he had decided to stand down.

Cllr Davies was first elected to Gloucestershire County Council as councillor for the Hardwicke and Severn division in May 2017. He was then appointed Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years in May 2021, and served as leader of the Conservative group on Stroud District Council until February 2023.

During his acceptance speech (Sep 11), Cllr Davies paid tribute to Cllr Hawthorne for his achievements during his 14 years as leader. 

He said: “Mark’s commitment and dedication to the county has been unwavering throughout his time in office and he should be proud of the council and the county he has helped create. Mark is the staunchest of supporters for all things Gloucestershire and the county is a better place because of him.

“I am really pleased that Mark has agreed to continue to play a key role within the council as Cabinet Member for Public Health and I look forward to continuing working with him."

Cllr Davies also set out his priorities for the county including road improvements, providing support to those that need it and standing up for local communities.