Gubby to stand down

His decision to step down heightens what was already going to be a closely-matched party political fight for control of Rother.

Cllr Gubby (pictured) is taking a full-time post under a new Home Office immigration initiative but says he will continue to serve Bexhill's King Offa Division as a county councillor.

May's elections will involve all 38 Rother seats. The Conservatives currently hold an overwhelming majority - 25 seats to the Liberal Democrats' six, Association of Independents' five and Labour's one, with one seat vacant.

If they retain overall control in May it means that the Tory group's first task will be to choose a replacement leader.

Contenders are tipped to include current deputy leader, retired businessman Cllr Robin Patten (Marsham ward), former chairman and Town Mayor Cllr Brian Kentfield (Kewhurst), fellow Kewhurst member and former council vice chairman and Town Mayor Cllr Martin Kenward and Cllr Carl Maynard (Brede Valley) who is Rother's youngest councillor.

If the Tories lose control it will be for the dominant political group to choose the leader.

However, in the recent past Rother has been a "hung" council with no overall political control. But this was before the introduction at the behest of the Government, which offered a limited range of options for reform, of the leader-and-cabinet system.

This invested the bulk of decision-making in the cabinet and gave the new role of leader massive significance.

If history repeats itself in May with another "hung" council the result could be a battle-royal for control.

Given a further Conservative majority in May, Cllr Gubby had planned to see the authority through to mid-term having groomed a potential successor.

This week he explained how his life had changed.

"I will be working for the Home Office immigration department. They have set up a brand new section to deal with 'managed migration.'

"Managed migration is about assisting and supporting legitimate migrants to this country who we genuinely want to attract because of their skills and experience and because they are supported by significant funding to come to this country.

"There are a number of educational establishments and businesses who sponsor migrants or who contract with establishments or individuals to offer them a job in this country.

"This new section is to provide the link between these educational establishments and businesses, the individuals who are coming over and the Home Office."

Cllr Gubby said: "The office will be in East Croydon but I shall be working out in the field."

Cllr Gubby was first elected to Rother in 1999. By 2001 he was Rother's first leader, steering the authority into the new form of decision-making.

He reckons to devote 50 to 60 hours of work a week to Rother, counts himself lucky to have one evening a week without Rother work or to have one day free at weekends.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed it", he says. "To some extent I am frustrated and disappointed by going now as much of what has been done behind the scenes over the last few years will only just be coming to fruition over the next few years - redevelopment at the bottom of Sackville Road, the High School re-building, the Link Road, Seaspace regeneration etc.

"Working with Derek Stevens (chief executive) the way we have raised the reputation of Rother as a council across the region. A lot of the work gets done by the building up of relationships, trust and confidence and bringing people together to work collaboratively."

Cllr Gubby has told cabinet colleagues he will continue as leader until May despite the fact that he could begin his new job at any time between now and April.