THE leader of Tendring Council has revealed he will be standing down at the local council elections in May after almost 20 years as a councillor.
Neil Stock, who represents Ardleigh and Little Bromley, was first elected to the district council in 2003 and became leader of the council six years later.
The Conservative councillor stepped down as leader in 2012, before reprising his role in 2015.
The 55-year-old said he wants to make way for fresh blood at the top – and wants to focus on his business, the Little Bromley-based bespoke garment manufacturing firm Harlequin.
“It will be 20 years in May and I have been leader for most of that time,” said Mr Stock.
“I’d like to make way for new blood, both within my group and the leadership of the council itself.
“I’m not seeking re-election at all to Tendring Council in May, so I will cease to be a councillor.
“I think it’s healthy to have a turnover at the top – and I include myself in that.”
Born in Yorkshire, Mr Stock spent three-and-a-half years of his childhood living on a pig farm before his family moved to Essex’s Dunmow.
He went on to study at a sixth-form college in Chelmsford before working as a motor insurance broker and later studying a combined technology degree at Anglia Ruskin University.
He became a maths teacher and moved to Colchester before taking over the reins at Harlequin with his wife Sarah Candy, who passed away in 2014.
“At the moment, I need to put a bit of work into the business,” added Mr Stock.
“You can’t do both things - you can’t put all of your passion, and energy and creative force into your business when you’re the leader of the council – you give it all for the council.
“It’s a fantastic thing to be leader of the council. It is a privilege and an honour and you want to give it your best all of the time.
“Every meeting you go into, you’re going into bat for 150,000 people in the district.”
Mr Stock said that he was proud of his time as leader – and that the council is in good shape despite the challenges faced by local government in recent years.
“I hope it’s in a good position to go forward and achieve even more,” he added.
“I think the fact we have a council that functions really well now is my biggest achievement.
“We have got a fantastic team of officers – an outstanding chief executive and a really good team who work together across the different departments of the council. We have a much more joined-up council than we’ve ever had.
“That also applies to the councillors – despite our political differences, and we’ve got lots of different political groups on the council, we work together for the greater good.
“On the big issues that affect Tendring, the politics go out of the window and we try to get the best deals we can.
“I think people like stability – that’s one of the great things we’ve had on Tendring for a few years. That’s a stable administration despite no party being in overall control.
“For me, that was one of the biggest challenges – running the council as a minority administration or a coalition administration.
“You have to work with people you wouldn’t normally work with politically, and that’s a challenge.
“But it makes a strong council at the end of the day because you have to consider all opinions and ideas.”
Mr Stock said he was proud of a number of achievements for the council in recent years, including attracting £20million for Clacton and £6million for Dovercourt from the Government’s levelling-up fund.
Mr Stock knows his party faces a tough challenge in the upcoming local elections – and the next General Election - but thinks the Tories will fare better in Tendring.
“It would be fair to say the Conservatives nationally haven’t had a good run of things in the public eye over the past few months – and that might be a bit of an understatement,” he said.
“Nevertheless, I don’t think Keir Starmer, as Labour leader, has really cut through in a way that he might have done, given all that has gone on.
“There’s still a very strong Conservative vote in Tendring, so I would be surprised if it goes horribly wrong for the Conservatives.”
Mr Stock thanked council officers and councillors for “putting up with him” for the past 20 years – and didn’t rule out returning to politics in the future.
He said: “For me personally, if another political opportunity presents itself to me then I might be tempted to take it – whether that’s Westminster or some other position, like if a directly elected mayor was to happen, then I might consider myself for that role.
“I’ve learned on the job and I’m sure I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I’ve tried to learn from them and improve every time.
“It genuinely has been a great honour. I think Tendring is an amazing place and I think the district council is an amazing council and I’m very proud to have been involved with it.”
Mr Stock’s services to local government were recognised in 2017 when he was awarded an OBE.
He visited Buckingham Palace for the ceremony where the then Prince Charles presented his medal.
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