Gloucester City Council leader Richard Cook standing down

Richard Cook received a standing ovation after announcing he would be standing down

A council leader has announced that he will not be standing at the upcoming elections in May.

Conservative leader Richard Cook is one of nine Gloucester city councillors to be standing down, along with his deputy and a cabinet member.

Mr Cook said the "speedy and robust recovery" he had hoped for following surgery last year had "failed to materialise".

He added that it was time "for someone younger to see things through".

Mr Cook referred to his health issues and received a standing ovation as he broke the news at a meeting on Thursday.

"There is no doubt that to do the extent of work necessary to accomplish the leader's workload requires stamina which I no longer have," he said.

"Making this decision has been difficult but it is unfair to try to do a job which ends up being done by others without due credit to them."

Legacy of regeneration

Mr Cook added that he is "very aware most members" of his party did not want to see him go, but he said he was "too proud to be carried".

"The time I have been leader, now four-and-a-half years, has been very difficult. Covid, the cyber attack, the demise of Aspire and other events have created difficulties. But we've surmounted them," he said.

Mr Cook referred to major developments such as The Forum, the university campus and Greyfriars, saying he was proud of his achievements.

"I leave behind a legacy of Gloucester's regeneration," he added.

Seven Tory and two Liberal Democrat councillors are not standing for re-election, including Mr Cook's deputy Hannah Norman and cabinet member Raymond Padilla, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.