Veteran Harborough-based councillor becomes new chairman of Leicestershire County Council

A veteran Harborough-based councillor is thrilled to have become the new chairman of Leicestershire County Council.

Cllr Dr Kevin Feltham, who lives in Kibworth Beauchamp, is the 47th person to hold the post.

Kevin was confirmed in the top civic role at the local authority’s annual meeting on Wednesday (May 18).

“I am very pleased to be taking up the role of chairman this year and I look forward to serving the county to the best of my ability,” said Cllr Feltham.

“Previous chairmen have done excellent work over the years, including for charity, and I look forward to continuing this work in my term of office.”

The retired clinical scientist was first elected to the county council in 2001 to represent the East Gartree Division, which became the Gartree Division in 2005.

The long-serving former cabinet member is now in his sixth term as a county councillor.

Public-spirited Kevin has also served as chairman of Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council since 2014 as well as being a member of Kibworth Beauchamp Parish Council.

He has lived in the Kibworths for over 35 years and is an active member of the community, including his local Anglican Church.

Kevin grew up on a family farm in Lincolnshire but was educated in Leicestershire and Rutland.

He gained a degree in microbiology at Surrey University before returning to Leicestershire to study for his PhD in Microbial Systematics at Leicester University.

He has worked in hospital laboratories computing all over the UK for much of his working life.

Kevin has chosen Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland Headway and The Well, a key community hub in Kibworth, as the charities he will be supporting during his year in office.

Headway is a brain injury association, while The Well is a Christian-based charity, open to everyone.

It operates a café, charity shop, foodbank and community centre which offers practical support to anyone who needs it within the Kibworths and surrounding villages.

“I have chosen Headway and The Well as my charities for this year.

“I have seen the excellent work Headway does with a friend who is recovering from a brain tumour and am very happy that I will be able to support that work in a small way,” said Kevin.

“Equally, The Well in Kibworth supports truly worthy causes, including through its foodbank and community centre, and I’m delighted to be able to support another charity so close to my heart.”

Cllr Dan Harrison, who has served as chairman during the last civic year, will be the county council’s vice-chairman for 2022/23.

Cllr Feltham also made the news last August when he became one of the first people in the UK to have a Covid booster jab.

He said he felt “super special” after being one of a tiny select few chosen to receive the top-up Oxford-AstraZeneca dose.

Kevin took part in a crucial 2,500-strong national trial in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

He was picked out after becoming one of the first patients anywhere in the world to have the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab in the country’s first vaccine trial in the summer of 2020.