A COUNCIL officer from Teesside has been voted into the top position at the northern branch of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Stephen Barker, head of planning and environment at Stockton Borough Council, has been elected as the group's chairman. He took over from previous chairman Jan Bessell at a branch meeting held in Darlington's Dolphin Centre.

Previously, a planning manager at Sedgefield Borough Council, he also worked for the Environment Agency.