The leader of the County Durham Labour Party has fended off competition to be re-elected for a third term. 

Cllr Carl Marshall, of the Stanley ward, won a vote at the party’s annual meeting at the weekend, defeating cllr Olwyn Gunn by 30 votes to 25. He took on the role as Labour leader following the resignation of Councillor Simon Henig after the 2021 Durham County Council elections, which saw Labour lose control of the authority.

Since taking up the role, he has been vocal in his opposition to the current Joint Administration - made up of Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Independents - which currently runs the council. One recent high-profile disagreement came as Cllr Marshall campaigned for an individual devolution deal for County Durham instead of the now-approved North East deal. 

Yet despite sitting on the opposition benches, Labour has claimed victory in every by-election since 2021 in West Auckland, Ferryhill and Chester-le-Street. 

Cllr Marshall says he will continue to hold the current council to account and campaign for the best future for residents in the area. 

He said: “Democracy is at the heart of everything Labour does, can the coalition say the same? Do those who voted Independent realise their votes help underpin a Tory-led leadership? Why does the smallest party, the Lib Dems, lead the council while the largest by far, Labour, is side-lined? Will the coalition deliver a leader from a different political party, given Cllr Hopgood has been in post two years when they said they’d alternate leadership across the Lib Dem, Conservative and Independent parties?

“Labour has provided the hardest working opposition this county has ever seen, and we’re ready to carry that effort and dedication into County Hall and take control of Durham County Council.”

The Northern Echo: Durham County Council leader Amanda Hopgood Durham County Council leader Amanda Hopgood (Image: Sarah Caldecott)

But cllr Amanda Hopgood, leader of the council and speaking on behalf of the Joint Administration, said Labour has disrupted decisions without providing alternatives. 

“There’s certainly been plenty of talk from County Durham Labour during the last two years, but it’s all been hot air,” the Liberal Democrat councillor said.

“When Labour lost control of Durham County Council, cllr Marshall committed to offering constructive opposition. However, far from being progressive, he has led a Labour group that at every turn has attempted to disrupt the actions of this council, while failing to offer solutions to any challenge.

"This wholly negative approach was most recently exposed when he and his colleagues simply opposed the council’s budget without suggesting a single amendment. Perhaps that’s why cllr Marshall’s re-election was so tight – it’s hardly a resounding endorsement of his leadership.

“From day one, the Joint Administration has been a genuine partnership and is not led by any single group. Cllr Marshall has helpfully highlighted this fact in his own words, by contradicting himself in the space of a few sentences. We all understand the nature of our partnership, which is why we have sustained the continuity of roles within the cabinet, together making collective decisions in the best interests of every resident in County Durham. 

“We are getting things done, correcting the mistakes made by the previous administration, and rolling out a positive and ambitious agenda. Meanwhile, County Durham Labour has clearly not learned the lessons of its own recent failures and its inability to be an effective opposition.”