Conservative Group Leader and former MP for Mansfield, Ben Bradley, is to step down as the Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council.
He informed the Conservative Group in a meeting on Wednesday afternoon and subsequently reached out to a range of council stakeholders to communicate his decision.
In these communications, Cllr Bradley explained the reasons for his decision as follows:
‘‘As I’m sure you can appreciate, this year has been a challenging one for me both professionally and personally, following two election defeats in the mayoral and general elections in the spring.
“Aside from the frustrations about the results, on a practical level it means that I have had to spend some time evaluating my next steps and planning for the future.
“I have considered very carefully the impact of putting my family through further election uncertainty in 2025 and the pressure that this puts on them.
“I would love to build my plans for the future around leading this authority for many years to come, but unfortunately, the uncertain nature of politics means that I’m not able to do that.
“Meanwhile, it has become increasingly clear that being the Leader of the Council simply is not compatible with many of the new opportunities I now need to consider.
“I have therefore decided that, in order to ensure the best possible process and maximum stability for the organisation, I should step away over the coming weeks and support my colleagues to transition to new leadership.
“Having made this decision, and with County Council elections now on the horizon, it would not be fair to my colleagues at the Council to deny them the chance to look ahead with certainty. I think that an orderly and managed transition at the earliest possible opportunity is the best way to ensure that we are able to offer continuity and stability to our partners.’’
Cllr Bradley has been a County Councillor since 2017 and became the Leader in 2021 following the retirement of long-serving former Leader Kay Cutts in that year’s County Council elections.
He first represented Hucknall North before standing in Mansfield North in 2021 after being elected as the area’s MP.
His tenure as Leader is notable for having uniquely held the roles of both Council Leader and MP at the same time.
While critics argued that he could not possibly carry out the two roles together, Cllr Bradley has always maintained that it made him more able to influence national policies in favour of Nottinghamshire’s priorities.
There is some evidence to support this claim, given that Cllr Bradley was involved in negotiating and implementing the new East Midlands Combined Authority and securing new investment for the area, as well as the successful bid to secure the £20bn STEP Fusion Project in North Nottinghamshire. Earlier in 2024, he also led a successful national campaign to secure £500m of additional funding for local government.
In his communication to partners, he listed what he felt were his key achievements. He said:
‘‘During my almost four years as Leader, I am proud that Nottinghamshire and Nottinghamshire County Council demonstrated significant influence on the national agenda, helping us to secure major new investment in the form of the East Midlands Combined Authority and billions of associated new funding, and the STEP Fusion Energy project in the north of the county that will create thousands of new jobs and training opportunities for local people, along with significant new investment and infrastructure to support clean energy research.
These are long-term projects with multi-generational impact that will truly make a difference for local communities.
They’ve also helped us to grow the reputation of Nottinghamshire and NCC as a place that is a good partner to work with and open for business.
The Council has worked hard to deliver significant service transformation and improvement, particularly across Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, which has put us in good stead for the future. I am incredibly proud of our record of delivering new schools, SEND places, and continuing to push forward with an extensive programme of capital investment in our county, despite the financial pressures across local government.
In each year and each budget during my tenure, Nottinghamshire County Council has delivered better value for money for local people relative to other councils. It has been a pleasure and an honour to lead the Council for almost four years, but now the time is right to move on.’’
In the coming weeks, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Conservative Group will run a process of selecting a new Group Leader, before the Council appoints the new Council Leader at their next formal meeting on 5 December. Councillor Bradley will remain in post until this process has been completed, in order to ensure stability and continuity.
It is understood that Cllr Bradley will not seek re-election to the Council when polls take place in May 2025.
He thanked colleagues for their support during his time as Leader:
‘‘I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Senior Leadership team, Cllrs Laughton and Barnfather, and to Cabinet at the Council for their help and support.
“I’m also very lucky to have worked with two excellent Chief Executives, Anthony May and Adrian Smith, who have in different ways been a huge source of support and guidance. I want to thank them, and more widely the staff at Nottinghamshire County Council, who have been an absolute pleasure to work with. Finally, I’m grateful to stakeholders from partner organisations around the region who have been so positive and engaged with our shared endeavours. We’ve achieved a lot together, and I am very grateful.’’
• Nottinghamshire council leader Ben Bradley reacts to Autumn Budget 2024
