Forest of Dean District Council Councillor Mark Topping has handed in his resignation and will depart the top job at the council later this month.

Confirmation this morning from the council came in the wake of information passed to Punchline-Gloucester.com yesterday that Cllr Topping, who is also a successful movie actor, had decided to leave the top job.

Enquiries with the council were finally confirmed this morning.

Cllr Topping will exit the role on April 18, the day of the council's next full meeting, allowing for a vote to decide on his replacement.

In a statement, Cllr Topping said: "After careful consideration it is with considerable regret that I make this announcement. It has been a real honour to serve the district in this way since May last year.

"However, both family and work commitments mean that I am not able to continue giving the role the time and commitment it needs.

"I will remain an active councillor representing my ward of Lydney West and Aylburton and an active member of the Green Group. I will continue to work with colleagues across the council as we all endeavour to serve the best interests of residents and the district as a whole.

"I have had fantastic support from both officers and members during my time as leader, for which I am deeply grateful and it has been a pleasure to work with colleagues across the council."

A Green Party member, Cllr Topping rose to the top post at the council in June 2023 after local elections left no overall control but put him at the helm. He took over the role from Independent Cllr Tim Gwilliam.

The top job added a new highlight to a colourful CV: after studying theology at university, Cllr Topping became a novice Franciscan monk before he decided to take a role as a journalist on local newspapers and radio.

He subsequently spent a few years as a press officer for an overseas aid agency, but has spent the last 25 years making a living as an actor.

Perhaps most notable in his big-screen career, Cllr Topping played the role of Professor Val Helsing in the British horror movie Wrath of Dracula which was released by High Flier Films last August. The role saw Cllr Topping stand alongside Sean Cronin who played Dracula and starred in The World is Not Enough and The Mummy series of horror flicks. Recent film roles for Cllr Topping include Seaview, Jekyll and Hyde and The Haunting of Alcatraz.

When not tackling movie monsters, Cllr Topping has indicated that the horror of the climate emergency drove him to seek election to the Forest of Dean District Council in 2019. 

He lives with his family near Lydney where he will continue to serve as a ward councillor.