THERE will soon be a new face at Surrey County Council whatever the result of the May 4 elections, after Farnham North councillor Denise Le Gal announced she is to step away from county-level politics after eight years.

A total of 14 candidates put their hats in the ring for election to Farnham’s three county council wards, including many familiar and some not so familiar faces.

But missing from the list of hopefuls for the first time in a decade was Surrey’s cabinet member for business Mrs Le Gal - who was recently appointed chairman of the Brunel Pensions Partnership, a £25 billion pool of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Mrs Le Gal told The Herald: “It’s been great fun and a huge privilege, but in life there comes a time to do something else. I will certainly miss it and I love the residents of Farnham North. But it’s time for somebody else to take over now.

“My family have been saying they want to spend more time with me and so have my friends, so I thought maybe I should listen to them for once! My new job will be a good challenge, but it’s only two days a week so in many ways it will be easier.”

Mrs Le Gal counts among her proudest achievements new pedestrian crossings in Farnborough Road and Alma Lane, and the successful merger of William Cobbett and Weybourne schools.

“But the biggest one”, she added, “was to secure a design for Badshot Lea’s new green man crossing. When I started eight years ago we were saying it’s not possible, and now finally we’ve got a design, we just need to get some of the money to build it.”

Mrs Le Gal confirmed she will stay on as a Waverley borough councillor for Hale and Heath End until at least the next borough election in 2019.