Rugby Borough Council's leader says he will be standing down after local elections in May

Voters will go to the polls on May 7 with 15 out of 42 council seats up for grabs – one of three in each of the borough’s 14 wards, plus another through a by-election.

One of those seats up for election is currently being held by Cllr Moran (Lab, Admirals and Cawston), who has been leader of the council since June 2024, running a Labour minority administration with the support of the Liberal Democrats.

But Cllr Moran has now announced that he will not stand in the forthcoming elections - which means no matter what happens, the council will be looking for a new leader.

"It’s been a privilege to serve the residents of the Admirals and Cawston ward for the past four years and the borough, for the last two years, as leader and I want to thank everyone that has helped me in that time," he said.

"Leading the council through a cross-party agreement with the Liberal Democrats, after decades of single-party control in Rugby, has been an honour.

"We have created a stable and effective council, which is now fit for purpose with policies and structures in place that have been sorely missing in years gone by."

Cllr Moran said he is proud of the recent investment the council has made into the future of the town centre, as well as the formation of the Local Plan, which is a blueprint for the infrastructure and homes for the future generations.

He said that the Local Plan "will promote brownfield sites in the town whilst protecting swathes of the Rainsbrook Valley and the countryside around the south and west of the town".

"Leading a council in today’s world isn’t easy and I have to pay testament to the senior officers at the council as well as Cllr Ish Mistry, my deputy, the wider cabinet of fellow Labour councillors and also most particularly to Cllr Jerry Roodhouse and his Lib Dem colleagues, who have always been both fair and challenging – always striving to get the best deal for our Borough," he added.

Cllr Moran did face criticism when he and his colleagues, alongside many other local councils, successfully applied to postpone the local May elections, due to the fact that major changes to the set-up of local government are set to take place soon afterwards. However, the Labour Government rowed back on that idea after pressure from rival parties, who felt that they were 'cancelling democracy'.

Reflecting on Cllr Moran's decision to stand down, Rugby Conservatives said: "After taking over, they brought forward a draft local plan which proposed concreting over Rugby's green belt and countryside - instead of developing in the town centre."

They added: "Labour and Lib Dem tried to cancel Rugby's elections this year - despite Conservative councillor pressure. Thankfully - another government U-turn came to Rugby's rescue.

"Rugby residents will now get their chance to pass judgement on the progress of the Labour and Lib Dems - who have jointly run the council for two years."