CHESTER-le-Street District Council has elected its first woman leader.
Coun Linda Ebbatson stepped into the position of council leader after the retirement of Malcolm Pratt, who spent the last 12 years as leader in 32 year service with the local authority.
Coun Ebbatson was tipped to be a rising star in local politics, after being handed the difficult job of steering the renewal of the council's troubled housing department.
She was given the portfolio for housing earlier this year, after the Housing Inspectorate published a stinging report into the failings of the housing service and referred it to the Deputy Prime Minister's department.
Coun Ebbatson, 56, was voted on to the council four years ago, at around the same time as she received a PhD in archaeology from Durham University.
Coun Simon Henig, a lecturer at the University of Sunderland and a regular commentator on BBC Radio, has been appointed deputy leader.
They will officially take office at the council's AGM on Tuesday.
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