Andy Woolley has been elected the new leader of East Sussex County Council following Reform UK’s success in the recent local elections.
Reform secured 22 seats — the highest number won by any party — and will now lead the 50-seat council as a minority administration.
Speaking after his appointment, Woolley said: “The people of this county did not send us here to manage decline, they sent us here to change it.”
Woolley, who grew up in Chatham, Kent, is a newly elected councillor for Heathfield and Mayfield. He has also served on Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council for 16 years, including six years as chair.
He was elected council leader with 25 votes. Reform councillors cast 21 votes in his favour, while support also came from the council’s three Conservative members and independent councillor Stephen Shing.
The remaining 24 councillors present — made up of 13 Liberal Democrats and 11 Green Party members — backed Liberal Democrat group leader Kathryn Field, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
One Reform councillor, Neil Cleaver, was absent from the meeting.
In his first address to the council, Woolley described himself as “the kid who missed the 11+” and said he left school during his A-levels to begin a career in banking. He later worked as a business director and consultant for four decades.
Reflecting on his upbringing, Woolley spoke about being raised by a single mother and how the family contributed weekly to a Christmas savings fund to afford presents each December.
He also announced his cabinet appointments for the coming year. Pete Morley was named deputy leader and cabinet member for economy, while Stephen Chapman will oversee resources and climate change. Mark Estcourt takes responsibility for adult social care and health.
In addition, Daniel Bradley will lead on children and families, Paul Soane on education, and Peter Griffiths on transport and environment.
Meanwhile, Martin Kenward was elected chair of the council. In that role, he will hold the casting vote in the event of tied decisions — a power that has already influenced the election of several committee chairs.
However, the composition of the cabinet drew criticism from Liberal Democrat councillor Sarah Osborne, who said: “Homogenous groups are prone to groupthink and an all-male leadership contradicts commitment to equality and inclusivity, which can lead to blind spots in policy.”
Woolley responded by saying he had appointed women to several committees because “that is where a lot of the groundwork is done” and because those councillors could provide leadership with “direction about what they are seeing” at grassroots level.