THE NEW LEADER of the Gloucestershire County Council has been revealed. 

At today’s meeting of Full Council, Cllr Stephen Davies was elected as the new leader of Gloucestershire County Council. 

Cllr Davies takes over from Cllr Mark Hawthorne who announced in July that after 14 years leading the council he had decided to stand down.

Having first been elected to the county council as councillor for the Hardwicke and Severn division in May 2017, Cllr Davies was appointed cabinet member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years in May 2021. 

He also served as leader of the Conservative group on Stroud District Council until February 2023.

The new GCC leader has worked in the technology sector for 40 years in a range of technical, sales and management roles.

As part of his acceptance speech, Cllr Davies paid tribute to Cllr Hawthorne for all that he had achieved during his 14 years as leader. 

Cllr Davies 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.

"It is a great honour to be elected leader of this fantastic council.

"As leader I am committed to continuing the long and successful track record this council has of being financially stable, responsible, and well-run.

"I look forward to developing strong working relationships with other local councils, the voluntary sector, health colleagues, businesses, and central government to make sure we are collectively delivering the best for Gloucestershire.

“Gloucestershire is already a place we can be proud of, but we know we can always do better and that will be my focus over the months ahead.”