North Tyneside mayor to step down

Dame Norma Redfearn has been mayor of North Tyneside since 2013

The elected mayor of North Tyneside has announced she will step down in 2025 and not seek re-election.

An email sent to local party members on Monday, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, confirmed Dame Norma Redfearn would step aside.

She has held the post since 2013, having beaten her Conservative rival at the time, and won a third term in 2021.

Dame Norma said it had been an honour to carry out the role and thanked those who voted for her.

She added: "I’ll spend my last year as I did my first, focusing on building a better North Tyneside and making the borough a better place to live, work, and visit."

The move triggers the process to select her replacement as the Labour candidate in the North Tyneside mayoral election.

'Passionate advocate'

A Labour Party spokesperson thanked Dame Norma for her work.

"She has been a passionate advocate for North Tyneside and the wider North East, and played a major part in negotiating the devolution deal which delivered the region’s first-ever mayor," they said.

"She can be incredibly proud of all she has achieved."

Dame Norma was first elected to North Tyneside Council in 2004, representing the ward of Riverside.

She went on to serve in the local authority’s cabinet, holding responsibility for children and young people under the then-leadership of John Harrison from 2005 to 2009.

The North Tyneside Labour stalwart also acted as the interim mayor for the North of Tyne Combined Authority from December 2018 to May 2019.

Before politics, she enjoyed a 30-year career in teaching and was head teacher at West Walker Primary School.

Already a CBE, she was made a dame in the 2023 New Year's Honours for political and public service.