Liberal Democrats leader steps down and is replaced by 31-year-old after election win

🟡 Long-serving Liverpool Liberal Democrats Cllr Richard Kemp has stood down as leader after 11 years in the role and has been replaced by 31-year-old former Knowsley councillor Carl Cashman.

Cllr Kemp secured a comfortable win in Penny Lane ward to claim one of the Liberal Democrats’ 15 seats in last week’s local elections. The 70-year-old said he'd informed the party in January that he would step down after the May vote.

Cllr Cashman, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats in Knowsley, was voted in by Church ward in the south of the Liverpool last week and has now been elected as the new leader of the official opposition in the city.

Labour retained control of Liverpool City Council in May’s locla elections despite sweeping changes to ward boundaries and just a 28.1% turn out to vote.