The Leader of Braintree District Council was confirmed as the new Chair of the East of England LGA at the AGM meeting which took place last week (2 July 2024).
Councillor Graham Butland takes over as Chair from Councillor Matthew Hicks, who has served the Association as Chair since 2022. Councillor Butland will be supported by the Leader of Chelmsford City Council, Councillor Stephen Robinson, and Leader of Luton Council, Councillor Hazel Simmons who were confirmed as joint Vice Chairs at the meeting.
Councillor Graham Butland said “I am pleased and proud to take up this role. The East of England has a tremendous offer to make to the country, through our economic achievements and potential, our capacity for growth, and our wonderful environment.
“I am really looking forward to working with the team and the rest of the Management Committee over the next two years to shape the direction of the organisation, ensuring EELGA continues to provide a unified voice for councils in the East of England through, no doubt, further challenging times ahead, and am excited by the opportunity to support all of our councils to be the best they can be, for our residents and the communities we serve.”
Cairistine Foster-Cannan, Chief Executive of the East of England LGA, said: “We are delighted to welcome Councillor Butland as the new Chair and Councillor Robinson and Councillor Simmons as Vice-Chairs of the East of England LGA. We have worked with them for many years, with Councillor Butland as Chair of the Infrastructure and Growth Panel, Cllr Robinson in his on-going role as Vice-Chair and Cllr Simmons as a prominent member of the Infrastructure and Growth Panel”.
The East of England LGA is a politically led, cross party organisation working on behalf of the 50 local authorities in the East of England to support them to be the best they can be for their communities.