Labour leader to step down

Councillor Gill Mitchell, Leader of the Labour and Cooperative Group on Brighton and Hove City Council will not stand  for re-selection as leader at the groups AGM in May. She will however, continue as a Councillor and will look to be re-elected in her East Brighton seat in 2015.

Cllr Mitchell stood for election in 1993 after running a campaign to save a local school playing field. 20 years on she is still at the forefront of community campaigning and local politics.

When Labour controlled the city council, Cllr Mitchell became Chair of the Environment committee and helped make the city council one of the most sustainable in the UK, with big increases in recycling rates, growth in public transport and cleaner streets due to measures she initiated.

Cllr Mitchell is a respected figure across the council and is known for her dedication, hard work and forensic dissection of reports at committee and in full council.

During her time as Leader of the Labour group, there have been four Leaders of the city council, three Leaders of the Green Group and three Tory Group Leaders.
 

Cllr Mitchell said:

“After 10 years at the forefront of local politics, including six years as Leader of the Labour Group, I have decided not to put my name forward for the position of Group Leader at the forthcoming Labour Group Annual General Meeting.

“It has been a real honour to serve as group leader throughout the many challenges faced by the council and the city over the past years and I look forward to fully supporting the new Leader as, together with the Labour Party, we fight to secure Labour victories at the next council and parliamentary elections.”

Cllr Warren Morgan who is deputy leader of the Labour and Cooperative Group and a colleague of Cllr Mitchell’s in East Brighton said:

“Gill has served in the front line of Labour politics for a decade, winning respect from colleagues, opponents and people from across the city. I’d like to thank her for her leadership over the past six years and hope that she remains a part of our leadership team for many years to come.”