Hampshire County Council's leader to step down

3 May 2013

Hampshire County Council's leader Ken Thornber has announced his resignation, the day after local elections.

After 14 years, the 80-year-old Conservative said he had taken the decision after being challenged within his party over his age.

He said: "I would stay - I still have a lot to offer. I felt it an uncomfortable challenge - clearly some of my group are looking for a change."

Mr Thornber will formally stand down at a meeting on Tuesday.

He said he was proud of what the local authority had achieved, "it was a huge, huge privilege".

UKIP gain

The announcement comes despite Mr Thornber holding his Brockenhurst seat in Thursday's county council elections.

The vote saw UKIP gain 10 seats on Hampshire County Council with almost a quarter (24.61%) of the votes.

UKIP previously had no seats on the council.

The Conservatives had 37.51% of the votes and the Liberal Democrats 21.71%, while Labour had 10%.