Sefton Council has confirmed the appointment of Cllr Marion Atkinson as its new council leader during a full cabinet meeting on Thursday, January 18.
Labour councillor Marion Atkinson will now take up the role of council leader, becoming the first female council leader in Sefton's history and now the only female council leader in the Liverpool city region.
The appointment comes after former council leader, Cllr Ian Maher made the surprise announcement he would be stepping down from the position he has had held since 2015. His resignation sparked a leadership contest at the Labour-run authority which culminated in dramatic fashion.
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It became clear after Cllr Maher's resignation, that Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) would be managing the process of electing a new leader.
Prospective candidates would be expected to attend an interview before a shortlist was drawn up and a vote could take place amongst Labour's group of councillors.
However, the ECHO understands the crop of candidates expected to challenge for the leadership, including Cllr Maher's daughter Cllr Trish Hardy, were not deemed to meet the required threshold by the NEC panel and didn't make the shortlist.
As a result, Labour reopened the application process after which cabinet member Cllr Marion Atkinson put herself forward. Cllr Atkinson had not previously entered the leadership race and was, in this second phase, the only candidate to apply for the new leadership role.
During this last week, Labour announced Cllr Marion Atkinson as the newly elected leader of Sefton Council – a decision which was ratified at this evening's full cabinet meeting at Bootle Town Hall.
At the meeting, Cllr Atkinson made a short speech and took time to pay tribute to the previous and outgoing council leader Ian Maher and commended his work during the covid 19 pandemic.
The new leader also gave some hints to what her focus will be going forward and was clear children's services and child welfare will be of central importance to her tenure as council leader and promised she 'will not shy away from tough decisions'.
Focus was also drawn to the importance of plans involving Bootle Strand, the creation of new quality homes and also the ongoing issues with Southport Pier.
A round of applause broke out as the chamber recognised Cllr Atkinson's position as the first female council leader in Sefton's history and she finished the opening speech with a call-to-action: "Let's get to work"
As an endnote to proceedings, a motion asking Sefton Council to support calls for an Israel-Gaza ceasefire was due to be heard at tonight's cabinet meeting. However, the motion was withdrawn.
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