New council leader unveils his Cabinet

Cllr Kemp, who has represented the people of Byker for 20 years, takes over from the previous Labour leader, Cllr Nick Forbes.

Cllr Kemp pledged to work to serve all communities across the whole of the city and to work positively with partners.

He then announced the councillors who will sit on his Cabinet which will set the council’s political priorities for the city.

He said: “It is a true honour and privilege to have been elected leader of Newcastle City Council.

“I have appointed a Cabinet who are committed to serving the needs of the people of our great city. I know they will work with dedication across the whole city for our residents, communities, and businesses.

“We will work with and within our communities to help shape our decision making to develop an ambitious vision for our city, built upon the essence of all things that makes Newcastle so great and build on the incredible pride we all feel for our city.”

Among the new administration’s priorities are tackling rising child poverty, and mental health, economic recovery from the pandemic and making best use of the council’s resources to deliver excellent public services.

The smaller, seven-member Cabinet, complete with new titles, is:

Healthy and Caring City – Karen Kilgour (deputy leader)

Adult Social Care and Public Health 

Dynamic City – Irim Ali 

Housing, Planning and Regulatory Services 

Connected City - Jane Byrne 

Clean/Green, Environmental Services and Transport 

Growing City – Sylvia Copley 

Children and Young People and Education 

Efficient City – Paul Frew 

Resources and Performance 

Vibrant City – Lesley Storey 

City of Sanctuary, Communities, Public Safety, Leisure, Culture and Heritage 

Resilient City – Alex Hay 

Jobs, skills and economy