After 25 years as a police officer putting others first, Sean has carried this principle through to his new role leading the county council.
After retiring from the Met in 2018 and moving to Lincolnshire, his intentions to work on his allotment and enjoy a twice weekly round of golf changed as quickly as the political landscape at Lincolnshire County Council.
Since being named as the new leader of the council he says his retirement plans saw a dramatic turnaround. “I have pretty much spent my life serving the community and I can’t seem to lose the habit,” he said. “I had plans for a quiet retirement, but I quickly discovered I am not that sort of person.”
“The results of the May council elections have meant that myself, my wife Tara and our family, will have to get used to the fact that I’m back in fulltime employment. Tara might be disappointed that we won’t have so much time together, but on the other hand, she’ll be glad that I’m getting out of the house.”
After a long career with the police, including a stint which saw him involved in protecting the Royal Family as well as high-profile political
figures, Sean says he has learnt not to allow the stresses and strains of difficult situations effect him. “When you have stood next to the Queen with a gun at your side, you can be sure that you have learnt to keep calm in any given situation,” he said.
“People sometimes ask me why I would give up plans for an easier life to jump back into a role which brings so many challenges, but the answer is simple. When I see that services could be run more efficiently or that unrealistic targets are eating up vital funding, I am driven by the desire to improve the lives of Lincolnshire people.”
The success of his party at the county council elections is something that fills the father of four with pride. “That success did not come by accident,” he added. “Everyone worked extremely hard for that election success, it was a combined effort by many people and I was extremely proud of the great results we had.”
Now that the Reform UK group has overall control of the county council, Sean says he would not be doing his job if all the council’s proposed spending was not scrutinised. “Everything will be considered on its own merit and if it is too costly, or not beneficial for the county as a whole, then yes, we may reconsider.
There are some vital projects that already have our backing, like the North Hykeham Relief Road, however there are other major projects planned that we need to look at carefully. “We have promised to dig out waste and reduce costs, because we have to tackle the council’s historic debt in order to safeguard the county’s future.”
Cllr Matthews is the leader of Lincolnshire County Council and county councillor for Tattershall Castle.