A Green Watford councillor has resigned his seat after taking up a new job outside of the county.

Steve Rackett, who was first elected to his seat in Callowland in 2003, handed in his resignation on Friday.

The former leader of the council’s Green group was serving as the borough’s civic head, the council chairman, at the time.

The timing of his resignation means the by-election for his Callowland seat, where councillor Rackett was re-elected with 58 per cent share of the vote in 2011, will be held on the same day as the May borough council and mayoral elections.