One of Watford Borough Council’s most long-standing political figures has announced that he will be standing down from elected office this year.

Liberal Democrat cabinet member Andy Wylie will not be seeking re-election to his Stanborough seat in May, bringing an end to a 17-year town hall career.

The former leader of the Conservatives on the council, Tim Williams, is set to stand for his seat in a political reincarnation as a Liberal Democrat.

Councillor Wylie has cited his onerous work commitments for the rail company, First Group, and the length of time he has spent in office as the reasons behind his decision.

"When to go is when you are at your most effective," said the 53-year-old.

"In councils all over the country you see councillors who just hang on too long."

Councillor Wylie currently holds the portfolio for finance and shared services.

His decision not to seek another term in office means a cabinet reshuffle is on the cards at Watford Town Hall after the May elections.

Mayor Dorothy Thornhill, who wields the power to select who sits in the cabinet, has said she is looking at candidates and has hinted she may even expand the current four-member cabinet come May.

The outgoing Liberal Democrat has some simple advice for whoever his successor is - to "do the homework" and stay on top of their brief.

Councillor Wylie has been at the heart of the Liberal Democrats rise to become the dominant force in Watford politics, since before the party's inception.

Formerly a Conservative supporter, he broke with the party in the early 1980s over its economic policies and joined the newly-formed Social Democratic Party.

He was involved in the capture of the party’s first Watford council seat in Stanborough ward in 1986.

The SDP then combined with the Liberal Party in 1988 to form the modern Liberal Democrat Party.

Councillor Wylie won a council seat himself in 1995 and was appointed to the cabinet after the party took Watford’s elected mayorality in 2001.

Prior to the Liberal Democrats, Watford had been run by the area’s Labour Party.

However Councillor Wylie credits Labour’s creation of the directly elected mayor as the turning point in the power shift between the two parties.

He said: "The big change came when the Labour Party decided to go for the elected mayoral system.

"We thought it was a very big opportunity for us, and we took it. We had been gaining seats before then but we broke through with the mayoralty."

It is in the story of Labour’s descent from power in Watford that Councillor Wylie says his own party should look to when trying to maintain its hegemony in the town.

He said: "The challenge for any party is to not make mistakes and do your best for the people of Watford.

"Don’t regard any seat as a safe seat ever. Doing that will probably be the day the Liberal Democrats lose control of the council, when they take the people of Watford for granted."