The County Councils Network announces its new chair

Today the County Councils Network announces Cllr Sean Matthews as its chair-elect, and he has vowed to work on a ‘cross party, collaborative spirit’ to help create stronger counties and stronger local communities.

Cllr Matthews has been nominated as leader of the Reform UK group on the CCN. As Reform UK is now the largest party on the network following last month’s elections, he will become chair of the organisation in September and chair-elect until that date.

He will become the first-ever Reform UK chair of any national representative body for local government.

Cllr Matthews is leader of Lincolnshire County Council, having been first elected in May 2025. Over the past year, he has served as a vice-chair at the CCN.
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Cllr Matthews, Chair-Elect of the County Councils Network, said:

“It is a real privilege to have been nominated as chair elect of this network. I’ve dedicated much of my life to serving local communities, and I am thrilled to now be able to do this on the national stage.

“Since I walked through the door at Lincolnshire a year ago, I’ve found the CCN a strong, cross-party organisation and it is in this spirit I will chair this organisation: working collaboratively with colleagues from all political parties, focusing on the issues that unite us. Ultimately, we all want the same thing – the very best for our great counties.

“For coming up for three decades, the CCN has been a leading advocate for county areas and for local government. I become chair of an organisation with strong foundations and I’d like to pay tribute to Cllr Matthew Hicks and his predecessors for their excellent work over the last few years. Now, with the support of all 39 of our member councils from across the country I aim to take this organisation to the next level.

“Too much of government policy is still focused on the major urban areas, overlooking and underestimating county areas. I will be doing my very best to ensure that the voice of county and unitary authorities is heard loud and clear in all the big debates facing local government.”

Cllr Matthews said that the network’s priorities for the year include shaping the debate on adult social care, holding the government to account on reorganisation, and ensuring changes in special educational needs and disabilities services happen.

Work set to be published this year includes research on economic growth and county road infrastructure.

In addition to this, the CCN will be expanding its work, including leisure and homelessness, to reflect its growing number of unitary councils.

Last month, the CCN published its Business Plan and Work Programme for 2026/27: setting out these priorities over the next twelve months, alongside its long-term vision.

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