Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson steps down from the role after 15 years

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said now was the time for him to ease back on the amount of work he does within the council, although he will remain ward councillor for Milton and a member of the cabinet.

He will be succeeded as leader of the group by his fellow ward councillor and cabinet member for culture, leisure and economic development, Steve Pitt, who has previously served as his deputy. The new leader of the council will be elected at the next meeting of the council on Tuesday (May 16).

Cllr Vernon-Jackson said he made the decision six months ago and was now heading towards ‘semi-retirement’ from the 60-70-hour weeks the role demands.

‘It’s been a privilege to serve this city as the leader of the council,’ he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. ‘There’s never a good time to stand down but there’s a brilliant and hard-working team running the council and they will continue to do a great job.

‘I’m going to stay as a councillor but I’m looking to gradually reduce the amount of work I’m doing. I’m now over 60 and have realised I need to do a little less.’

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Cllr Vernon-Jackson was first elected to the city council in 2003, becoming leader a year later and holding the role until 2014 when the Conservative administration took control. He resumed the position in 2018 when control switched back.

He described the cross-party campaign to prevent the closure of the city’s naval base and work to save Portsmouth FC from liquidation as two highlights of his time as leader but said individual victories were equally as satisfying.

‘The privilege of being a councillor in any position is that you get to help people,’ he added. ‘Whether you’re helping someone get a home, or helping people get access to social services – those things bring as much pride as the big campaigns.’

Cllr Vernon-Jackson said he believed the Lib Dem group was well-placed to continue its ‘ambitious’ plans after his departure and the success it had in last week’s elections.

He said his focus would now continue as a ward councillor and cabinet member but that he also planned to support parliamentary campaigns elsewhere in the country.

Cllr Pitt said there would not be any significant change of approach to the priorities for the council but that there were differences in ‘style’ between the two.

‘I want to start by thanking Gerald,’ he said. ‘Gerald has led the Lib Dems in the city for nearly two decades with passion and ambition that has seen the city grow from strength to strength.

‘As a council, we have prioritised our green agenda and have focused on delivering great public services at good value in spite of huge cuts to the council’s finances.

He added: ‘I look forward to using my new role to continue to champion culture and creativity as I have always done. I was born here, and I am ambitious for our city to be an ever better place for local people and visitors alike.

‘Gerald was the one who got me into the council back in 2015 and he’s been a fantastic servant both for the city and in the way he represents it nationally. You don’t get a CBE for services to local government for nothing.’

The Lib Dem group is the largest of all the political groups on the city council with 18 councillors but despite a gain at last week’s election is still slightly short of an overall majority of the 42 seats.

Councillor Suzy Horton will continue as deputy leader of the council.

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