A NUMBER of councillors representing Wokingham borough will be standing down at the local elections.
There are two Liberal Democrats, two Conservatives, and one Labour councillor who will swap the council chamber for civvy street.
It means that even if no seats change hands there will be five fresh faces on Wokingham Borough Council following the vote on May 4.
Clllr Clive Jones (Liberal Democrats, Hawkedon), the current council leader, said that while Cllr Maria Gee and Cllr Tahir Maher are standing down as borough councillors, they are hoping to remain on its respective town councils.
The longest serving retiree councillor is John Kaiser, who was first elected 12 years ago in 2011, and is ward member for Barkham. In the last Conservative administration, he served as executive member for finance and housing. He was also the Borough Mayor for the 2018-2019 municipal year, and held a number of executive positions including highways.
Cllr Gee has served as a Liberal Democrat representative for Wescott since 2019.
Last year, she led the charge against car meets in Wokingham, successfully campaigning for a public space protection order (PSPO) allowing council officers and police to fine those responsible for anti-social behaviour committed at car meets.
She is a Liberal Democrat candidate for Wescott West ward on Wokingham Town Council.
Cllr Gregor Murray served as a Conservative representative for Norreys since 2019.
During the Conservative administration from 2019-2022, he was the executive member for the climate emergency and emissions.
At the time, he was involved in plans to establish a solar farm in Barkham and seeking Tree Cities of the World status among other projects.
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen (Conservative, Hillside), leader of the borough Conservatives, said Cllr Murray is retiring due to career responsibilities that require travelling.
Cllr Shirley Boyt has represented the Bulmershe & Whitegates ward, which covers Woodley and Earley, since 2019.
Cllr Maher has been a Liberal Democrat representative for Maiden Erlegh ward since 2019. He has served on both the Borough Council and Earley Town Council, being elected to both councils in 2019 after standing in the borough and town council elections in 2015, and borough council elections in 2016 and 2018.
He has recently been a member of the borough council’s Audit and Governance Committee.
On Earley Town Council he is the party’s candidate for the Redhatch ward on Earley Town Council, and has previously served as the town mayor.
