AFTER five years at the helm, Reading Borough Council leader Jason Brock is to step down at May’s local elections.
The Southcote wards councillor will not be standing for re-election.
First elected in a 2016 by-election, he became Leader of the Council in May 2019.
He said it has been a “huge honour and privilege” to lead the council for the past five years, but felt it was time to step aside to allow others to take on “a town as wonderful as Reading”.
“When I was fortunate enough to be selected as Leader in 2019, I privately maintained that roughly five years was probably the right amount of time, and that is something family and close friends were quick to remind me of as I considered the decision,” he said in a statement.
“I look back with immense pride on some of our achievements. It is also fair to say there have been some extremely challenging periods for Reading over the period and now feels like the right time for me to step aside, both for a much-needed rest and for a change in personal direction.
“Reading’s response to the vast difficulties at the height of the pandemic, and to the attacks at Forbury Gardens in 2020, will always be at the forefront of my mind as an example of how a community can come together to find strength in moments of enormous adversity. To this day, I remain humbled at the town’s response.”
He continued: “The role of Council Leader afforded me the privilege of meeting and collaborating with the many communities, neighbourhoods, organisations, and individuals who make up the fabric of Reading.
“Together, they all help maintain a special sense of community, which is rare quality in a town that also wears its status as an economic giant so comfortably.
“At the risk of repeating myself, Reading remains a ‘little big town’, which is what truly sets it apart from others.”
Due to the make-up of Reading Council, it is likely that Labour will maintain its majority in May’s local elections – elected in thirds, there are 16 seats up for grabs, and Labour is likely to retain its core seats, meaning the balance of power cannot change.
The party will hold its AGM before the annual council meeting. During this session, they will vote on a new leader.
“I have been incredibly lucky to work with so many exemplary councillors, and especially with two dedicated Deputy Leaders who, in different ways, have given their lives to public service,” Cllr Brock said.
“I remain proud that our committee-based system of Council governance sets us apart from others and means that debate and scrutiny – and sometimes even consensus with the opposition – is at the heart of our decision-making.
“And while the economic climate and the cost-of-living continues to widen existing inequalities in our society, the Council’s direction of travel remains helping Reading to realise its potential while ensuring that everyone who lives and works here can share in the benefits of its success.”
Of his successor, he said: “A new Group Leader will be elected at the Labour Group Annual General Meeting (AGM) after the May elections, and thereafter the Council will decide who is the Leader of the Council at its Annual Council Meeting.
“I am confident that under new stewardship the town will continue to go from strength to strength.”
