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Farmer Paul is the 50th person to be chairman

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The new Chairman of Lancashire County Council, Paul Rigby, will be swapping his wellies for the official chains of office for the next year.

County Councillor Paul Rigby, who owns and runs a farm in Fylde, is the 50th person to hold the role.

He was appointed at the Full Council meeting yesterday (Thursday 23 May).

Lytham-born Paul is from a large farming family. When he was young, Paul delivered milk for his parents around Warton village. He also worked on the family farm for many years.

Paul married Margaret in 1975 and they moved to their own farm in 1981. They have two children and two grandchildren.

He said: “Farming takes a lot of my time, so with my council work as well, I’m a really busy person. It’s thanks to my family and their support that I’m able to do this.

“I feel very honoured to have been asked by my fellow councillors to serve as Chairman. It’s a privilege to serve the people of Lancashire in this way.

“I’m looking forward to highlighting the varied work people do across the county, especially farming and rural life, along with the voluntary work that people do to help others.”

Paul represents Fylde South on the county council.

Being a politician runs in Paul’s family. He is the third generation to serve as a councillor, after his father and grandfather.

He was mayor of Fylde Borough Council in 2009/10, following in the footsteps of his uncle George Warbrick, who also served as mayor of Fylde.

Paul was elected to the county council in 2009 and has just served as Vice Chairman to County Councillor Anne Cheetham during her year in office.

The county council’s new Vice Chairman is County Councillor Susie Charles, who represents Lancaster Rural East. She has been Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Schools since 2017.

He added: “I’ve spent the past year working alongside Anne Cheetham, during her year in office. On behalf of Lancashire, I’d like to thank Anne for all of her brilliant work and look forward to working with Susie during my time as Chairman.”

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