Newcastle’s Liberal Democrat leader has announced that he is stepping down for health reasons.
Nick Cott, who has led the city council’s opposition group since 2020, is resigning his post in order to cut down on stress and reduce his workload during a period of ill health. The Fawdon and West Gosforth councillor said the decision was “the best thing for myself, best for the group, and best for the city”.
While he is quitting as opposition leader, he will stay on as a ward councillor and also plans to continue as chair of the local authority’s overview and scrutiny committee. Liberal Democrat councillors are now set to meet next Monday night to select a new leader.
