John Clancy has been elected the new leader of Birmingham city council, Europe’s largest local authority.
In a tight victory last night, Clancy beat closest rival Penny Holbrook by just one vote at 38 votes to 37.
The council member for the Quinton ward will head Birmingham council’s ruling Labour group and subsequently take over the reins from Sir Albert Bore, who steps down from the role next Tuesday, 1 December.
Birmingham’s property market has experienced a huge renaissance, with three major office relocations from London in as many years – Deutsche Bank, HS2 Ltd and HSBC. Bore was known for understanding the importance of public and private sector partnerships regarding urban regeneration.
In his new role Clancy will be responsible for a £3bn budget, as well as managing around £100m of cuts expected in George Osborne’s forthcoming comprehensive spending review.
Clancy said: “I want to pay tribute to Sir Albert Bore for his dedication to Birmingham, his commitment to the people of Birmingham, for his leadership of the council and as leader of the Labour group for the last 16 years.
“Sir Albert has always put Labour values at the centre of his vision for Birmingham – he has brought world-class investment to the city and overseen the longest period of regeneration in the city’s history.”
