A VETERAN councillor is stepping down after more than 20 years.
Former Stratford District Council leader Chris Saint will not be standing at the local elections in May.
The 76-year-old began his political career in Stratford in 1998 when he was first elected for Tredington ward, where he lives with wife Linda. Following a boundary review he was elected to the Shipston North ward in 2015.
He became council leader in 2011 for seven years as well as serving as the council’s cultural portfolio holder.
The dad-of-five said: “It will be a tremendous wrench as I have been a district councillor for over a quarter of a century or more than a third of my life. This has principally been in the ward that includes my home parish of Tredington with other local parishes where the mix has changed a little over the years.”
“I have never lost an election and I would like to thank all those who generously supported me at the ballot box on several occasions, or maybe just once when it was important. I may not have pleased everybody all of the time, but it has been a great privilege to be of service to all. I shall take away with me fond memories of my service to the local community.”
The Shipston councillor grew up in Essex before moving to Rugby, then Daventry. He previously worked as an engineer, lecturer and a consultant.
Among his political achievements, Coun Saint counts keeping council tax at its lowest in Warwickshire, establishing ‘strong cultural links’ with China and helping bring the’ benefits’ of the 2012 Olympics to the West Midlands region.
