Durham County Council gets first woman leader amid control change

Amanda Hopgood has represented the Framwellgate and Newton Hall ward on Durham County Council for 13 years

A council has elected its first female leader in 132 years after a change of political control.

Liberal Democrat Amanda Hopgood was elected leader of Durham County Council after an alliance of various groups was formed to take control from Labour in the wake of the local elections.

Ms Hopgood was born in Durham City and has represented the Framwellgate and Newton Hall ward for 13 years.

She replaces Labour's Simon Henig who had been leader since 2008.

'Honoured'

Labour was the largest party following the local elections, with 53 of 126 councillors, but lost overall control with the party saying it was "disappointed" to have been excluded from alliance talks.

The alliance, made up of Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, independents and a Green councillor, officially took over at the council's annual meeting on Wednesday.

Ms Hopgood, who leads the Liberal Democrat group, said she was "honoured and privileged" to have been elected leader.

She said: "County Durham is a fantastic place, not just for those of us who live here, but also those who choose to work, visit and invest in the area.

"I am looking forward to working in partnership with my colleagues from other groups to achieve our common goal of ensuring our county is able to prosper."

She said the first priority would be the "ongoing recovery" from the coronavirus pandemic.

Durham County Council was formed in 1889 and became a unitary authority in 2009 when it merged with seven district councils.