Allan Sutherland has announced that he will stand down as the mayor of Moreton Bay Regional Council next year.

Mr Sutherland told News Corp he would not contest the next council elections in March 2020.

It follows nearly three decades in local politics, with Mr Sutherland first elected to Redcliffe City Council as a councillor in 1994.

He was one of the biggest opponents of the state government’s council amalgamations, however after they were implemented he was elected as the mayor of the joined Moreton Bay region in 2008, a position he has held since.

Mr Sutherland told News Corp he counts the securing of the Redcliffe Peninsula rail line as one of his career highlights, while his brushes with the state’s corruption watchdog were among the lows.

He was never charged with an offence by the Crime and Corruption Commission.

He was called as a witness during its Operation Belcarra investigation into council corruption which led to the state government issuing guidelines to stop abuses of power in local government.