Council leader takes time off due to ill health

Nick Kemp has stepped down temporarily due to ill health

A council leader is taking a temporary leave of absence due to ill health.

Nick Kemp said he would be stepping down from his duties as Newcastle City Council's leader with immediate effect.

The long-serving Byker councillor, who has been in charge of the local authority since 2022, will be replaced by his deputy Karen Kilgour.

Kilgour said it was "very much business as usual".

She said she would work with elected members and council officers to best serve the city, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"This is such an exciting time for Newcastle with investment in the city and opportunity for those people who call it home," she said.

Kemp has previously faced backlash from some Labour councillors over proposed cuts to the city's homelessness provision earlier this year.

Both he and Kilgour also faced criticism over a taxpayer-funded trip to Germany where they attended one of England’s Euro 2024 matches as part of a visit to Newcastle’s sister city of Gelsenkirchen.