Councillor Paul De Kort re-elected Leader of St Albans City and District Council
Councillor Paul De Kort has been re-elected Leader of St Albans City and District Council.
He was voted to the role for the second year in succession at the annual meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday 21 May.
Cllr De Kort will chair the Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee which has responsibility for the budget and other financial issues.
He will also chair the Planning Policy and Climate Committee, which is overseeing the progress of the Local Plan.
Cllr De Kort represents Harpenden East ward and has been a Councillor since 2021. He has previously held several key committee positions including Vice Chair of Resources and Chair of Audit.
He said after the meeting confirmed his appointment:
I am delighted to have been voted Leader again by my fellow Councillors.
During the coming year, we will continue our work on behalf of our residents to make St Albans District an even better place to live and work.
Over the past 12 months, we have completed the construction of Jubilee Square, a landmark development in a sustainable location in the heart of the City. It has provided 30 new social rent homes for people on our housing register and it will also considerably increase footfall in the centre once the commercial space is occupied.
In the year ahead, we are on track to get our Local Plan adopted, a blueprint for the sustainable growth of St Albans District over the next 16 years.
This will allow for 15,000 much-needed new homes as well as £750 million of new infrastructure including new schools, better public transport, locations for 15,000 jobs, green spaces and health facilities.
We will also remain committed to tackling the climate emergency, promoting inclusive communities and ensuring that our leisure facilities remain at a very high level. We have achieved all this despite the challenging financial climate.
The Council meeting also agreed to the appointment of six other Lead Councillors who will each have a wide range of responsibilities. They are:
Councillor Helen Campbell: Deputy Leader, Chair of the Public Realm Committee and Lead for car parking, parks and leisure.
Councillor Terrie Smith: Vice-Chair of the Public Realm Committee and Lead for heritage, waste and recycling.
Councillor Simon Johns: Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee and Lead for housing services and homelessness.
Councillor Sarwar Shamsher: Vice-Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee and Lead for equality, inclusion and community safety.
Councillor Giles Fry: Vice-Chair of the Strategy and Resources Committee and Lead for resources.
Councillor Jacqui Taylor: Vice-Chair of the Planning Policy and Climate Committee and Lead for sustainability, climate and housing delivery.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.