At an emotional meeting, colleagues paid tribute to the late Beaty Bainbridge before a new chair was elected for Durham County Council. Councillor Joan Nicholson, from Annfield Plain, was selected for the position during the meeting on March 29th.
As the new chair, she will represent the council and promote County Durham in other authorities and beyond. The fact that Councillor Nicholson was a close friend of the late Councillor Bainbridge made her appointment particularly poignant, as she shared during the meeting.
Councillor Bainbridge had been a member of the council since 2008, representing the Chester-le-Street East division before being elected as the Chair of the authority in May of last year. Her colleague and friend, Councillor Patricia Jopling, stated that her legacy on the council will be remembered for many years to come.
Members from across the political divide pledged to put politics to one side, and instead paid tribute to her career in the community.
