Council leader Stephen Giles-Medhurst appointed OBE

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst has been awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of services to local government.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst, who has led the council since May 2024, said he was delighted and humbled by the recognition.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted and feel extremely honoured. This is a great moment not just for me, but it is a recognition and tribute for everyone in local government and the hard work we all do – which sometimes goes unnoticed. The work of local councils is vital and makes a real difference to a lot of lives, and it is a heartwarming moment to see that through this honour those efforts are recognised by the King.”

The King's Birthday Honours are awarded by the King following recommendations by the prime minister or senior government ministers.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst’s award comes after almost a 50-year-span of service in local government which began in May 1978 when he was elected as a Liberal Party councillor for the London Borough of Harrow aged just 21, becoming the youngest councillor in the country.

A member of Harrow Borough Council for 20 years, Cllr Giles-Medhurst served as it’s Mayor in 1995-96. He also chaired various committees from 1994 to 1998. Having moved to Three Rivers in 1999 he became a district councilor for Leavesden, where he lives, in 2000. He has served in several senior roles including being deputy leader for almost four years before becoming Leader. He was elected to Abbots Langley parish council in 2008, and served as its Chair for five years.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst was elected Hertfordshire County Councillor for Central Watford and Oxhey in 2001, serving five years on the County Council Network as its Transport Spokesperson. This year he was elected for his home division of Abbots Langley. On the 20 May he was appointed the county council Cabinet Member for Highways. He is the longest continuous serving Liberal Democrat on Hertfordshire County Council.

Aside from his council involvement, Cllr Giles-Medhurst had an extensive 35-year civil service career before taking voluntary early retirement in 2010 when he was the Head of HM Customs at Stansted Airport.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst added: “I have as much enthusiasm and excitement for local government today as I did when I joined the Liberals in 1974. I have always been