News / Politics
Another cabinet member to leave City Hall
Cabinet member Nicola Beech and Labour group leader Steve Pearce have become the latest senior Labour councillors to announce they will not be standing for re-election.
Beech’s decision not to stand in St George Central ward makes her the third cabinet member confirmed to be leaving City Hall in 2024 following local Labour grandee Helen Holland and deputy mayor Craig Cheney.
Council elections in May will see the end of the mayoral model as well as the introduction of a committee system of governance. Both Beech and Pearce have sat on the working group setting up the new committee-run council.
is needed now More than ever
Steve Pearce and Nicola Beech will both not stand for re-election in May 2024 – photo: Labour Party
The St George Central Labour Party have selected Henry Palmer and Sally Bowman as their council candidates for May 2024. Palmer works in social housing and Bowman works in public health.
Beech, currently the cabinet member for strategic planning, resilience & floods said that “choosing not to re-stand as your councillor was not easily made, having loved supporting the community I call home and where I will raise my family”.
She said: “I am proud of Labour’s achievements in St George including supporting the creation of a new community sports hall in Speedwell, the creation of new community groups across the ward and securing funds to make our streets safer.
“Stepping into city leadership as a cabinet member since 2017 has also been a huge privilege. Getting under the skin of some of Bristol’s key opportunities such as meeting our housing crisis head on while also delivering a decarbonised and ecologically rich city has been hugely rewarding.
“There is much to look forward to in St George, Speedwell and Kingswood in the coming years, and as I step out of politics for a while to jump head-first into the energy sector there are no better people than Sally Bowman and Henry Palmer to lead our communities to realise the great projects we have developed together and be your voice in Bristol.”
Pearce, who was also previously a cabinet member in Marvin Rees’ administration, thanked “Nicola and everyone I’ve worked for helping to make St George a better place”.
He added: “I’m hanging up my boots in May 2024, having served St George for over a decade. I was particularly proud to be appointed as Marvin’s cabinet member for waste, commercialisation & regulatory affairs, working with the waste team to crack down on graffiti, fly-tipping and littering.”
Main photo: Bristol City Council
Read next:
- Deputy mayor Craig Cheney to stand down as councillor
- Green victory in Bishopston & Ashley Down by-election
- Group to set up new model of governance for Bristol
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
