A North East council has appointed a new Mayor for this year at an annual meeting today.

Stockton Borough Council have installed Cllr Jim Beall as the new Mayor of Stockton-on-Tees at the council’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday (May 24).

He will be replacing Councillor Ross Patterson at the end of his mayoral year.

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Cllr Beall said he was looking visiting commmunity initiatives around Stockton and help improve the area.

He said: "As well as the traditional Mayoral duties I’ll have throughout the year, I’m looking forward to visiting some of the many community initiatives that focus on improving the wellbeing and health of people in the Borough.

“There are a lot of great organisations doing great things to help our communities and I’d like to support them in raising their profile.”

Councillor Beall was dorn and raised in Stockton and attended the former Mill Lane school, followed by Grangefield Grammar then onto Essex and Keele universities.

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He has represented the Roseworth ward since 2007 and was Deputy Leader of the Council from 2011 until 2022.

He has had a 33-year long career in social care, first working as a care assistant in an adults’ care home, before pivoting to social work and senior management roles in children’s social care.

He also served as Cabinet Member for Adults and Health and later as Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture, with responsibility for a wide range of services for residents, including some of Stockton’s most vulnerable.

He will be working alongside his wife, Councillor Pauline Beall, who represents Stockton Town Centre ward.

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The Mayor's chosen charities this year are the North East Autism Society, which has recently opened a school in Roseworth, and Eastern Ravens Trust, which supports disadvantaged children and young people including young carers.

The retiring Mayor, Councillor Ross Patterson, raised £14,172 for The Historic Counties Trust, which raises awareness of the history, geography, natural history, architecture and traditions of the historic counties of the UK.

Councillor Patterson also made donations to his other charities, the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) and Remembering Rebecca, which supports children and families affected by neurological conditions.