New Lib Dem Council Group Leader for BANES

1 April 2021

Bath & North East Somerset Lib Dems wishes to place on record its gratitude for the work Cllr Dine Romero has done as leader of the council for the past two years.

Dine has stepped down as group and council leader with immediate effect. Cllr Kevin Guy is the new Lib Dem council group leader, and will be the Lib Dem nomination for council leader at the council AGM. Cllr Richard Samuel, deputy leader of the council, will act as leader between now and the AGM.

"Dine has worked phenomenally hard since the Lib Dems took control of B&NES in May 2019," said Steve Gourley, local party chair, "especially given the nature of the global pandemic and the impact it has had on all of us. We all owe Dine immense gratitude for the way she has worked tirelessly to ensure our community coped as well as it has."

"Dine has so much to be proud of," added Cllr Kevin Guy, "in addition to dealing with the pandemic. We have got some council housing, have planted thousands of trees, started the process for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, got the first Clean Air Zone outside of London, worked with local business to help them weather the COVID storm, amongst many other achievements."

Dine has used her regular weekly newsletter to announce the change in leadership structure and in it she said, "I am incredibly proud of what the council has achieved both before and during the pandemic. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all council officers and council partners who have worked so hard, and in particular everyone who has supported our most vulnerable residents."

During the next month in the run up to WECA elections, the council will be in purdah, so this is the ideal time for a smooth handover. Dine has indicated she will accept a role on the cabinet, so we wish her, Kevin, and the team he is putting together all the best in the current challenges Bath and North East Somerset faces. As ever, our local party’s focus is on delivering against the manifesto we were elected on, combatting the climate emergency, building new council housing, and being a listening council.

Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, said:

“I would like to warmly thank Dine for all her hard work over the past two years. She and her team have laid a strong foundation by making real progress tackling the biggest challenges our community faces. Dine played a key role helping to establish the Compassionate Community Hub, unique to B&NES, which has provided vital support for our most vulnerable residents during the pandemic. I am looking forward to working with Kevin and the rest of the Liberal Democrat Council team to build on what Dine has achieved.”

"I am humbled and honoured to take on this role," said Kevin, "and relish the chance afforded to myself and my team, to truly make a huge positive difference to the lives of all in our authority."