Reform selects Sunderland council group leader
Reform UKReform UK has named Chris Eynon as its group leader on Sunderland City Council, after ending years of Labour control.
The Redhouse councillor is joined by Daniel Cowie, councillor for Grangetown, who has been elected deputy leader of the group.
Eynon, a 30-year-old financial advisor and army reservist, will lead the 58-strong Reform group on the council, the largest group on the local authority.
He said: "It is a fantastic honour to have been chosen by my colleagues to lead our group following these historic elections."
He said he looked forward to "the challenge ahead and to working tirelessly for the people of Wearside".
"It is a new era for Sunderland," he said.
Reform made huge gains from Labour in the Sunderland City Council election on 8 May, finishing the night with 58 out of 75 seats.
It followed changes to ward boundaries by the Local Government Boundary Commission, with councillors elected to newly drawn wards with new names.
It had been around 20 years since all 75 council seats were last contested in one election cycle and three councillors were elected to each of the city's 25 wards.
More than 360 candidates put their names forward from the Labour Party, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Reform, plus three independents.
The ruling Labour Party had run the city council since its formation in 1974.
