Snettisham councillor tells Town & Around the 'time is right' to step down to concentrate on charity work
Stuart Dark MBE has officially resigned as the Borough Councillor for the Snettisham ward, a role he's held since 2018.
"I work full time at a leading charity, and I'm giving full commitment to that in a time of rising demand and diminishing funds.
"On top of that I'm still fundraising for the Snettisham Memorial Pavilion, the biggest infrastructure project that's happened in the village for quite some time. And I've just become a trustee of another charity in Norwich.
"It genuinely was a difficult decision to make. I'm very much for if you do something, you do it to the best of your ability, and I just felt that the time was right, I don't have the time to do all the jobs well."
Snettisham Memorial Pavilion cheque presentation (back right)
"I'm proud of the role I had in the response to the pandemic, King's Lynn's new library, a number of the major housing projects, supporting our children's services," Mr Dark continues.
"But it's for others to judge if I've done a good job."
He goes on to say it's been an honour representing his constituents, "I'm still a member of that community, I'm still fundraising in the community, I'll still be around, and if there's an issue I'll help out as much as I can."
And adds he'll be there to offer advice to whoever takes on the role.
The current mayor of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Cllr Steven Bearshaw, has reacted to the news, "He was always a pleasure to deal with and fully committed to being a Cllr. I found Stuart a good sounding board and a voice of experience.
"Understandably he’s grown in his charity role and being fully committed has had to choose between the two. I know this won’t have been an easy decision and I wish him luck on his endeavour."
Cllr Alexandra Kemp says, "Stuart Dark's resignation will be a great loss to the Borough Council. As Leader of the Council, Stuart was of the rare breed who engaged with Councillors respectfully and meaningfully across the political divide. Stuart listened and had impeccable manners. We will never see his ilk again."
Current mayor of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Cllr Steven Bearshaw
There'll now be by-election to vote for a new candidate, which could happen late July.
The Borough Council says, 'Local government by-elections must be held within 35 working days of two local government electors making a request following the publication of Notice of Vacancy'.
"It's a case of it's now someone else's turn to hopefully do it well," says Mr Dark, and has this advice for any candidate, "Throw yourself into it, and always engage your moral compass. It's not about local politics, it's about doing your best to try and help the community you serve.
"It gives you an understanding of what's going on in your community, how services get delivered. If you feel passionately about your local village - put yourself forward."
He ends by telling me, "It's always difficult to close one chapter. I did 30 years in the police, on the county council I did 9 and a half years and the borough a further eight - it's now time to move on and do the other stuff better.
"It was a lovely time and I look back with fondness, I thoroughly enjoyed it and hopefully I've got a few things down.
"I'm excited about the future, to use the transferrable skills and contacts I've gained to help the charities I'm working for."