Bersted Parish Council needs news figurehead

A RESIGNATION means Bersted Parish Council is seeking a second chairman in four months.

Tony Kemp has stepped down from the figurehead role after being elected on May 8.

He is likely to have been the shortest-serving chairman since the council was formed in 1894.

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His decision requires councillors to appoint a new chairman at their meeting next Tuesday.

Mr Kemp said his decision was prompted by his 65th birthday next week as well as his wife’s recovery from ill health.

“We always said we would enjoy ourselves at this time,” he said. “Being chairman of the council is very time-consuming.

“It would be difficult to meet my council obligations with all the things we are looking to enjoy ourselves with.

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“I gave the matter a good deal of thought. I thought the best thing to do, rather than let anybody down, would be to resign.

“It’s sad because I did enjoy being chairman, although I had only done it for a few months. ”

Shripney resident Mr Kemp said he had been a member of the parish council for about eight years after serving the public in the police for the previous 40 years.

“If I had thought about the matter more earlier on, I would not have taken the chairmanship on,” he said.

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“I couldn’t give it the commitment I wanted to. I couldn’t find a way of doing all the things I wanted to do.

“It would have been unfair to keep putting things on the vice-chairman to deal with all the time.”

Mr Kemp joined the parish council in 1999 for four years. He rejoined about three years ago and had been its vice-chairman.