Gateshead Liberal Democrats have announced their new leader following the retirement of councillor Jonathan Wallace who had been at the helm since 2015.
Current deputy leader Ron Beadle, a Low Fell councillor since 1996, is taking on the role and by default becomes leader of the opposition officially on January 26.
Coun Wallace announced he was to step down as leader earlier this month, following the deaths of his brother, Andrew, and a close friend, Richard. He also wants to devote more time to his recently expanded farm.
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Coun Wallace said: “Andrew was 59 when he died and Richard was only 49,” said Jonathan. “Their deaths brought home to me that time is running out for me to carry out the plans I had but which had been shelved during the past 36 years I’ve been on Gateshead Council.
“In addition, in February 2022, we added another 15 acres to our farm near Sunniside and it requires a great deal of work to run it.
“I, therefore, informed the group in December that I will be standing down this month and the full council meeting on 26th January will be my last as leader."
Following his anointing as the new leader, coun Beadle said: ‘Half a century of Labour rule in Gateshead is long enough - parts of the town centre are derelict, leisure centres are under threat and residents are deeply unhappy about cuts to street cleaning. All this while paying the highest council tax in a metropolitan borough.
“We need Gateshead Council to work with residents and businesses rather than thinking that it always knows best.”
Ron Beadle is also a professor of organisation and business ethics at Northumbria University.
The Lib Dems have also declared Whickham North councillor, Christopher Ord, as the new deputy leader. Coun Ord said: “The Council needs to be ambitious and start tackling things head-on instead of closing services and arguing that everything is always someone else’s fault.”
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