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SCC Leader Oliver Quits Elmbridge Role to Concentrate on ‘Massive’ Job

Published on: 5 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 6 Apr, 2019

Cllr Tim Oliver

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

Surrey County Council leader Tim Oliver has announced he will not stand again as a borough councillor for Elmbridge.

The former leader of the borough council, a solicitor, was elected as leader of the county council in December 2018.

A Conservative, he stood down as leader of Elmbridge Borough Council earlier this year and will now not stand again for re-election for his borough seat of Esher.

“You cannot do both jobs properly,” he said. “I firmly believe if you are an elected member you have to focus on your residents and I didn’t feel I could do both roles.”

He said as county leader he “wanted to be able to stand back from all the districts and boroughs” and not be perceived as always being associated with one of them while heading up the county council.

Cllr Oliver added: “They are different roles, the borough and county. This is a massive role and I wanted to focus on that.”

He has been a councillor in Elmbridge since 1999, acting as group leader plus deputy and leader of the council. He was elected to Surrey County Council in 2017 for the division of Weybridge.

He said he was saddened to be leaving Elmbridge and was proud of the work he had achieved with maintaining frontline services and the injunction against illegal encampments.

Cllr Oliver added: “It’s the right decision for the residents and me personally.”

Elections for Surrey County Council are held every four years, the next one being in 2021.

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