Friday 3rd March, 2023
And so farewell Cllr Adam Fox – around these Sunny Colch parts, anyway.
The Deputy Leader of the council has announced he’s stepping down from his role. Fox, who’s also the Leader of the Labour Group, will be leaving the council come May’s local elections.
The Councillor’s been representing the Old Heath and Hythe ward since 2016. He’s packing his bags and moving out of the Colchester area, which means he won’t be able to run for re-election.
Cllr Fox told the local newspaper:
“Serving as a Councillor has been an immense privilege and one of the best experiences of my life. I feel I have made a real difference in my own neighbourhood and across Colchester. It’s been a tough decision to stand down but it’s the right decision for me.”
Move house, will travel, etc.
Despite leaving his current position, the Deputy Leader plans to stick around in politics. There was even some talk of Cllr Fox running to be the PPC candidate for Colchester. It was with some surprise that he didn’t formally put his name forward.
It’s probably too late to find a potential PPC vacancy elsewhere in the country – wherever Cllr Fox lands at next.
He will be remembered at the Town Hall for being good at coalition building – a skill that is key in a Council that hasn’t had a majority administration in over fifteen years.
Cllr Fox did well to avoid the poxy party political spats that some previous leaders made part of their job description.
Under his leadership the Labour roup has boosted its number of seats, almost becoming the senior partner in the LibLab coalition. Cllr Fox played a role in the defection of ex-Green Leader Cllr Steph Nissen jumping ship to Labour last December.
And so what next for the Colchester Labour Group? It’s a prize role, for sure. We’re talking possible Leadership of the Council after the next set of local elections in a couple of months.
Mayor Tim Young will be free of his bling in a few weeks. Maybe he’ll get to enjoy a second political honeymoon after all.
Oh.
We wonder if the ex-Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council, Matthew Bennett, still fancies having a run at Colchester politics? He’s probably got more lucrative fish to fry it is fancy new housing, consultancy role.
The Labour Group needs to make a decision pretty sharpish. There are manifestos to be written, leaflets to be printed, photo shoots to be organised.
Cllr Fox will be missed. He got to leave his leadership role on his own terms, a rarity these days at the Town Hall.
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