Councillor’s goodbye Diggory to stand down after 24 years in role
CHELTENHAM councillor Diggory Seacome is standing down at the next election after 24 years of “other people’s dustbins”.
The Conservative member for Lansdown has been on Cheltenham Borough Council since 2000.
But after decades serving the town he will not be standing for re-election on May 2.
He says he only became a councillor after being “bullied” into standing for election by a Tory colleague at the pub.
“I have enjoyed it but I just feel, as I say to people these days, 24 years of other people’s dustbins is more than man or beast would want to do,” he said.
“I was bullied into it by someone I met in the pub who was a county coun- cillor. I sort of vaguely knew him and he said I ought to try being a councillor.
“I thought I’d do it for a couple of years or something and of course 24 years later, I’m still here.”
Cllr Seacome, who also teaches music one day a week at Dean Close School, is also giving up his job at the end of the academic year.
He says he wants more free time to be able to travel and already has three trips planned later this year to Puglia in Italy, Provence in France and Northumbria.
“In two years time I shall be 80 and I want some free time to travel,” he said.
“I shall be able to say without any fear of other people missing out on me, oh gosh, there’s a cheap holiday somewhere, I can do that.”
He was chairman of the licensing committee for more than 11 years and is also on the planning committee.
Cllr Seacome was also a cabinet member for arts culture for one year in 2007 and chairman of the town’s twinning association and has represented the Playhouse on the council.
“I shall still be around,” he said. I’ll become an alderman as I’ve served more than 14 years as a councillor.”