The Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Judith Blake CBE, who represents Middleton Park Ward, has been selected to be a Labour Party Peer in the House of Lords.
Councillor Blake was named among the new peers announced by the Government today.
Councillor Blake has served as Leader of Leeds City Council since 2015 and before that was Deputy Leader since 2010, as well as been a ward councillor in Leeds for 24 years.
Responding to the announcement, Councillor Judith Blake CBE said:
“I am honoured to be selected to join the House of Lords at this hugely important time. As well as being Leader in my home city of Leeds, it has also been a great privilege to have represented both Middleton Park and Belle Isle, and before that Hunslet, as a ward councillor on the Council since 2002.
“Joining the House of Lords will allow me to continue to represent the interests of South Leeds and our city in Westminster. It has never been more important to have regional voices with experience of local government represented at a national level.”
Councillor Blake will start discussions in the New Year to ensure a smooth transition for when she steps down as Leader of Leeds City Council, once it is clear when her new role will commence.
This post is based on a press release issued by Leeds City Council
Photo: Cllr Judith Blake speaking at an event at the Hamara Centre in Beeston
Does that mean she’ll no longer get her £80k plus salary?
The leader of Leeds City Council gets paid around £56,000. Peers can choose whether to claim either £153 or £305 per day they spend in the Lords.
She also sits on committes for which she gets pays, making her pay in excess of £80k
Surely her next role would have to pay at least that
She claimed well over that in allowances in 2018 she claimed nearly 70k and that excluding ‘expenses’ and allowances from other bodies…..she’s a fraud an expensive one
Always puzzles me why she represents Middleton when she lives miles away in Otley.
Congratulations to councillor Blake, my wife suffers with alzheimer’s and when we needed to adapt our bathroom she was a great help. Best of luck in your new role.
Regards David Boocock
What the Government and Councils forget is whose money they’re spending.
There’s a huge amount of money paid out in Executive and Councillor salaries and expenses.
Congratulations. Really pleased for her I live in Middleton and have absolutely no issue that she doesn’t live here. It’s her experience, knowledge and influence that helps our area
What help is that exactly?
God help us! I hope she finds it easier getting round the House of Lords than it is to get around Leeds!
leaving but not before she made sure all the green space in Middleton got sold off first. The reason she stood for councillor here is because she tried and failed twice in the area she lives! Leeds City Council have just cut 45% of planned building areas in Leeds guess where the majority of those areas were yes North and West Leeds
Why all these comments on what the Leader of the Council is paid. Do they expect someone to do a responsible job like that for a pittance?
Why don’t they do it for minimum wage like majority of us have to and still pay our own travel expenses out of it or if they lived locally could walk!