Portsmouth councillor set to leave office after eight years serving Copnor

Tory councillor Neill Young will not re-seek election at the Portsmouth City Council poll on May 7.

Posting on his Facebook page, he said: 'After a great eight years as the ward councillor for Copnor I have decided that it is time to step down and therefore will not be seeking re-election in May.

'It has been an absolute privilege to represent this fantastic part of the city and talking to so many of you about the issues that matter to you.

'Thank you to Cllr Robert New and Ben Swann for being by my side, but more importantly thank you to you for your support.'

Cllr Young served as cabinet member for education under the previous Tory administration at the council.

He was first elected in May 2012, and re-elected in May 2016. He will leave this may having served two full terms.

Lewis Gosling will now fight to retain the seat for the Conservatives at the election.

He stood in Nelson on May 2, taking 374 votes to the elected candidate Lib Dem Lee Hunt's 1,125 votes.