Council's first ever female leader to step down

Former MSP Elaine Murray has been council leader for the past five years

The leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council is stepping down – after 27 years in politics.

Elaine Murray, who was the first ever female leader of the local authority, will retire in May ahead of the local government elections.

Her husband Jeff Leaver, who is also an elected member and chairman of the region’s education committee, has confirmed that he will give up his councillor role then too.

They said they were looking forward to spending more time with their family, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"I want to do other things while I’m still fit and healthy," Ms Murray said.

"I have been an elected representative in local or national politics for 27 out of the last 28 years and I feel that's long enough."

Originally from County Durham, Ms Murray was brought up in Edinburgh but later moved to Dumfries.

Her first role in politics was as a councillor representing Ayr South in 1994.

She them became MSP for Dumfries from 1999 to 2011 and then for Dumfriesshire for the following five years before losing her seat in 2016.

Ms Murray said the council administration had faced a number of challenges

The following year, she was elected as a councillor for the Nith ward and was quickly appointed the first female leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council.

"This administration hasn’t had its challenges to seek – we inherited a lot of long-standing problems reaching back years including DGOne, the waste contract, the trunk roads contract, and more recently the construction issues at the North West Campus," she said.

"The greatest challenge, as for everyone, has to be the Covid pandemic."

She said council staff had done an "incredible job" keeping essential services operating and providing support to individuals and businesses throughout that time.

"I don’t go in for personal pride, I think I have been very lucky to have a career in politics and especially to have had the opportunity to be a member of Scotland's first parliament for 300 years," she said.

"I've met some amazing people along the way.

"I am proud of my three children, all now in their 30s, as having a parent in politics isn't easy, they coped extremely well and have grown up to become great adults."