Like Iron Lady, leader sheds tears on final day
Cllr Paul Carter overcome by emotion during last speech
Emotional county council leader Paul Carter broke down as he delivered his final speech as head of the authority.
Tears rolled down the face of the councillor after 14 years as head of Kent County Council came to an end last Thursday. More than a dozen tributes were heard as the outgoing leader was described as “courageous” and compared to Conservative Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, during the full council meeting at County Hall in Maidstone.
Cllr Carter stood but was unable to finish the final words of his speech as his voice cracked and he fell to his chair after saying: “I hereby formally resign as leader of Kent.”
Nearly 100 councillors and officers applauded the outgoing council leader, who was elected as head of the authority in 2005 and has been a county councillor for 22 years.
Cllr Carter described himself as “his own boss” and told the council chamber: “I said 14 years ago I would do my absolute best to serve the people of Kent and this council. It has been full throttle all the way.”
New leader, Cllr Roger Gough (Con), described his predecessor as a “great giant” with a “courageous” leadership style, saying:
“This is a man who looks for bullets to bite.”
Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con), described the outgoing leader as a “velvet steamroller.” He compared Cllr Carter to Mrs Thatcher, who served as Prime Minister for 11 years between 1979 and 1990.
Comparing his departure to the Iron Lady, Cllr Carter said: “It still ended in tears but emotional tears with people saying nice things rather than being thrown out of office.” Cllr Carter announced his resignation as leader six weeks ago. He will serve on the back benches.