A FAVOURITE to take over from Redcar MP Mo Mowlam said last night he is happy where he is.

Councillor Dave Walsh, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said he hoped a local candidate would get the job, but it would not be him.

He said: "There have been far too many instances, in all parties, of the centre trying to impose potential candidates who, in the final instance, usually end up paying more attention to central dictat than to the needs of the area they represent; needs that sometimes mean having to stand up to the powers that be."

As highlighted in The Northern Echo yesterday, the heavyweight councillor will not be seeking a career as an MP.

Explaining his reasons, Coun Walsh said: "It is only 17 months since I was elected by my fellow Labour councillors to the leadership of the borough council. Turning around the council is a big job, and there is still a lot to do here. I think my colleagues would not be best pleased by seeing someone they put trust in suddenly seeking new horizons.

"Quite properly, the selection for Mo's successor will be made by members of the Redcar Constituency Labour Party, and I have every trust that they will make a wise choice at the eventual selection meeting.''

He said: "As someone from the neighbouring Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, I will not have a vote in the matter. But I would hope that the final choice will be a local candidate, committed to the area and knowing it intimately, with a pledge to help the council's programme of social improvement and the creation of a more equal and caring society. And who can work with the other Teesside MPs in the furtherance of those objectives.''