Earlier in May, the Lib Dem group decided to nominate me as deputy mayor for Gateshead. The council has been Labour run since its creation in 1974 and 100% of mayors and deputy mayors have been Labour despite their never having 100% of the vote or 100% of the seats. The days of Labour's one-party state in Gateshead may be numbered but they are fighting to the bitter end to prevent anyone other than Labour from taking on the ceremonial role of mayor or deputy.
A common practice of Labour is to appoint a mayor or deputy who has only recently been elected. The new deputy mayor falls into that category. Cllr Sharron Potts was first elected in 2022, so her wait from election to deputy mayoral appointment was just 3 years.
I always knew that being elected deputy mayor would be something of a longshot! Alas, despite lovely speeches by my 2 ward colleagues, Marilynn Ord and Jonathan Mohammed, and 38 years' experience of serving as a councillor, I was defeated.
The deputy mayor has lots to do so I have been saved from this additional workload. That leaves me more time, as one of Gateshead Lib Dems' leading campaigners, to take the battle to Labour throughout the borough. For that, I must thank Labour!
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