A FORMER city council leader is crossing the divide and taking up a new role as an executive director at another local authority.

Former Green convenor and Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat has been confirmed as the new executive director of corporate development at Essex County Council.

Mr Kitcat and his family will leave the city after 17 years this summer to start a new life in Chelmsford.

He told The Argus he would not rule out a return to Brighton and Hove City Council as an officer but said a lot of water would have to pass under the bridge before that could happen.

Mr Kitcat will stand down in the upcoming weeks from his role as micro-business ambassador at Crunch Accounting which he took up in October 2015 but said he will still offer advice to the rapidly expanding digital accountancy firm from time to time.

He will become part of a newly-restructured executive leadership team at Essex County Council under chief executive Gavin Jones.

Essex County Council is one of the largest authorities in the country, responsible for more than 1.3 million residents and with a budget of £1.822 billion, more than double the size of Brighton and Hove City Council.

The Conservative group has a large majority, with more than half of the authority’s 75 councillors ahead of elections next month. There are just two Green councillors.

Mr Kitcat’s role will focus on digital innovation and managing the authority’s commercial enterprises which are among the biggest of all councils across the country.

He said: “I still have a passion for local government burning within me but I did not want to do the politics of it any more.

“It will be a politically restricted role,

“I have been out of party politics for a number of years now and the feedback I’ve had is that I was not a particularly tribal person in politics.

“I have been able to work across party divides for a long time.

“My pay has still to be decided but it will be publicly recorded and I’m sure I will be on the TaxPayers’ Alliance hit list before long.”

Mr Kitcat served as a Green councillor for the Regency ward for eight years and in the last four years was joined by his wife Ania.

He took over from the first ever Green council leader, Bill Randall, in 2012, staying in the role for three years before deciding not to stand for re-election in May 2015.

He said: “It has been 17 years since I moved down to Brighton to start a business.

“I will always have a lot of passion and fondness for the city.

“I think it is a case of au revoir rather than farewell but I am very excited about the prospect of moving to Chelmsford.

“I would never say never about coming back to Brighton and Hove City Council as an officer.

“However, I think there would have to be a lot of water under the bridge. I am a known face amongst councillors of all parties.

“I do know a lot of the ins and outs of the council but that is a long way down the line. I’m looking forward to spending many years with Essex.”