Gary was first elected to South Holland District Council in a by-election in June 2001. He was re-elected in the 2003 elections and elected as Leader of South Holland at the Council’s AGM of that year. In 2010, Gary became the LGA Conservative Group Leader, and in June 2011 the Vice-Chairman of the LGA. He held both these positions until June 2014, when he became the LGA Chairman. Also in this time, Gary was the Conservative Councilors Association (CCA) Chairman from 2013 until 2016. In November 2015, he became a member of the House of Lords. He is now the LGA Conservative Group lead peer, the LGA’s building safety spokesman, a trustee of the Leadership Centre and a member of the APSE 2030 Commission.