Countryside Alliance Chairman stands down following appointment to Cabinet Office

Simon Hart MP has been appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office. He is required by the Ministerial Code to give up all outside interests so has had to resign as Chairman of the Countryside Alliance. Simon has served the Alliance in numerous roles including Chief Executive, Board member and Chairman for the last 20 years.

Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Tim Bonner said: "There are few jobs in the Alliance that Simon has not filled over the last two decades and we would simply not be the force we are were it not for him. From his leadership of the Campaign for Hunting through turbulent years of political battle, to guiding the Alliance through a period of profound change in the countryside as Chief Executive, to steering a route through the current political turmoil as Chairman he has shaped the organisation and served our members tirelessly.

"Whilst Simon will be a great loss to us we understand that taking up the challenge of his new role at such a time was irresistible."

The Countryside Alliance Board has started the process of identifying a new Chairman.

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