County Durham Labour is under new leadership.
Cllr Carl Marshall was elected Leader at a Labour Group meeting, replacing Cllr Simon Henig, who stood down last week. Cllr Marshall will be aided by new Deputy Leader, Rob Crute, replacing Alan Napier, who has retired.
Carl, 40, has been an elected councillor for Stanley for 17 years, has, for the past four, led Durham County Council’s Economic Regeneration Portfolio and represented the North East Combined Authority on the Transport for the North Board.
Cllr Marshall said: “To win the backing of County Durham Labour is an honour and a privilege and something I do not take lightly.
“It’s been a difficult few weeks for the party, not just in County Durham but the whole country. We’ve heard what people have said and it’s important that we work collaboratively across political divides to ensure County Durham remains one of the best councils in the country.
“We all need to work harder than ever to help businesses and communities as we recover from the devastating impact of the pandemic and ensure we continue to deliver on the plans put in place to create more and better jobs.”