Teignbridge Council leader steps down to concentrate on Westminster

Newton Abbot MP Martin Wrigley has stood down as leader of Teignbridge Council.

Liberal Democrat Mr Wrigley, who overturned a large Tory majority to oust sitting MP Anne-Marie Morris at the general election, has also relinquished his position as chair of the district’s highways and traffic orders committee.
“Being a leader of the council has been a full-time job in its own right,” he said. “It is with some regret that I am standing down, but it is the right thing to do.”
He said the workload for an MP was ‘huge’, and added: “Being as involved as I was in local government cannot be sustained as an MP, but I will still work closely with Teignbridge. I will be setting up regular meetings with the executive and senior leadership team.
“If the MP works closely with the local councils – districts, towns, parishes and the county council – together we can get a lot more done.”
Mr Wrigley, who will continue to represent Dawlish North East as a councillor, said it had been an honour to serve as leader.
Cllr Richard Keeling (Lib Dem, Chudleigh) was chosen to step up from deputy leader to leader, although Conservative group leader Phil Bullivant (Bradley) disagreed.
He said the Lib Dem executive had failed to deliver important projects since 2023. “The reason for this can be laid directly at the hands of members of this executive,” he added.
And, he said, Cllr Keeling was “clearly associated with the failures of the last 15 months.”
He proposed Cllr David Palethorpe (Lib Dem, Ipplepen) as leader instead, but Cllr Palethorpe declined.