A newly-elected council leader has refused to tell the public how old he is – because he says age is irrelevant.
Tory Cllr Tony Briggs, a grandfather of two, will take over as leader of Havant Borough Council next May.
But when asked by The News for his age he refused to give it, saying: ‘Certainly not. That’s ageism. It’s totally irrelevant – ability is the
important thing, not how old you are.’
Age has been a hot topic in politics of late. Sir Menzies Campbell, 66, recently stood down as leader of the Lib Dems after critics said he was too old for the job.
Current Havant council leader Cllr David Gillett, who is 49, defended his colleague’s decision not to reveal his age.
‘The biggest percentage of age groups that end up as councillors are between 60 and 80,’ he said.
‘It’s a fact of life that the majority of council leaders across the country are going to be from the older age groups.
‘We can’t afford to let age be an issue because if it was we wouldn’t have any leaders.’
Havant Borough Council said Cllr Briggs’s age could not be released without his permission due to data protection rules.
Fellow leadership hopeful, Cllr David Guest, who was pipped to the post during a secret vote on Monday evening, also refused to give his age to The News, saying he did not think it was important.
Pat Sutton, from Havant Residents’ Association, said: ‘I don’t think it does any good to publish people’s ages.
‘With age comes great experience and that’s one thing that young people are lacking.’
But Cllr Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, said he was perfectly happy to be open about his age.
At 46 years old he is one of the youngest leaders in the country.
But he thinks it should be up to the individual whether they reveal their age.
‘I’m not sure how relevant it is,’ he said. ‘It certainly doesn’t bother me but I suppose as people get older they get more conscious of their age.’
The government brought in new age discrimination laws on October 1 last year, to help older people in the workplace.
Chris Perry, director of Age Concern in Hampshire, said: ‘The more experience you’ve got the better and that only comes with age.
‘Winston Churchill was 66 when he was first elected prime minister and 77 the second time and he didn’t do too badly.’
jenny.haworth
@thenews.co.uk
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