John O'Shea (politician)
John O'Shea is a British Labour Party politician who currently serves as a member of North Tyneside Council for Whitley Bay Ward. He has served as a member of Tyne & Wear County Council, Newcastle City Council and North Tyneside Council. He is a former Deputy Leader of Newcastle Council and former Leader of the Labour Party in Newcastle.
Political career[edit]
Tyne & Wear County Council[edit]
O'Shea was elected onto the Tyne & Wear County Council as the member for Scotswood ward in 1981.[1] O'Shea held the seat until the Council was abolished in 1986.[2]
Newcastle City Council[edit]
In the 1991 local elections O'Shea was elected as the Councillor for West City ward which covered most of what is considered the city centre of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. O'Shea was re-elected to represent West City ward in 1995, 1999 and 2003.[3]
In November 1994, the then Leader of the Newcastle City Council Jeremy Beecham announced he would be standing down. O'Shea, who was Chief Whip at the time, was widely tipped as one of the potential candidates to replace Beecham.[4][5] The contest was eventually won by Beecham's Deputy, Tony Flynn.[6] O'Shea was elected as the Deputy Leader of the Council and would serve in the post until his resignation in February 1997, following accusations of submitting false expenses claims in his role as city magistrate. O'Shea denied the allegations against him and vowed to clear his name.[7][8]
As a result of boundary review Newcastle City Council's wards were redrawn and the whole council was up for election in 2004. O'Shea was elected to represent the seat of Newburn ward.[3] In that election the Labour Party lost control of Newcastle Council to the Liberal Democrats, after over thirty years in power.[9] Following the Party's defeat O'Shea was elected as the Leader of the Labour Group and Opposition Leader on Newcastle Council, Nick Forbes was elected as the Deputy Leader.[10] During his time as Leader, O'Shea brought in pollsters to try and find out why voters in the City had switched from voting Labour to voting for the Liberal Democrats.[11]
In 2007 sought re-election to his seat of Newburn and lost his seat to his Liberal Democrat opponent and former Labour Councillor, Michael Lynch.[12]
O'Shea was made an Honorary Alderman of Newcastle City Council on 3 October 2007.[13]
North Tyneside Council[edit]
After relocating to North Tyneside, O'Shea contested the seat of Whitley Bay ward in the 2011 local elections. O'Shea would go on to beat the Conservative Party incumbent Alison Austin by 71 votes.[14] In his first term as the Councillor for Whitley Bay, O'Shea campaigned for the regeneration of the town and the Spanish City.[15] The regeneration plans caused some controversy with the proposed loss of the Broadwalk Cafe. As a result O'Shea promised ‘vigorous consultation’ in the future.[16] He backed a campaign to give local authorities regulatory power over sunbed providers after the death of a woman who developed skin cancer.[1]
In 2015, O'Shea was elected for a second term as the Councillor for Whitley Bay increasing his majority from 71 to 1,204.[17] In his second term, O'Shea launched a campaign to demolish the Trinity United Reform Church in Whitley Bay which had been set ablaze and was standing derelict.[18][19] He helped secure funding for projects to tackle loneliness and isolation in Whitley Bay,[20] supported residents to campaign against houses to built on a near by green area,[21][22] and successfully campaigned have a new Post Office for Whitley Bay.[23]
O'Shea was elected to a third term as the Councillor for Whitley Bay in 2019 with a slightly reduced majority of 1,033.[24]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Local Elections Handbook 1981". Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 2019-09-17. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Local Government Reorganisation (Property) (Tyne and Wear) Order 1987". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Newcastle City Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 18 September 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "SIR JEREMY TO STEP DOWN?". Local Government Chronicle. 25 November 1994. Retrieved 18 September 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "NEWCASTLE CONTEST ON AS BEECHAM QUITS". Local Government Chronicle. 25 November 1994. Retrieved 18 September 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "TONY FLYNN ELECTED NEWCASTLE LEADER IN CLOSELY FOUGHT CONTEST". Local Government Chronicle. 6 December 1994. Retrieved 18 September 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "EXPENSES PROBE NEWCASTLE CITY DEPUTY RESIGNS". Local Government Chronicle. 14 February 1997. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- ↑ "DEPUTY LEADER QUITS OVER PROBE". Local Government Chronicle. 21 February 1997. Retrieved 18 September 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ ""We Blew It, Says Labour's Ex-Lord Mayor" - The Journal (Newcastle, England), June 25, 2004 | Online Research Library: Questia". www.questia.com. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ Chronicle, Evening (2004-06-21). "Labour licks its wounds - and vows to return". nechronicle. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ ""Pollsters Called in by Beaten Labour" - The Journal (Newcastle, England), July 12, 2004 | Online Research Library: Questia". www.questia.com. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ Chronicle, Evening (2007-05-04). "Labour avoids election disaster in North". nechronicle. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
- ↑ "Honorary Aldermen". Newcastle City Council. 24 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "North Tyneside Council Election Results" (PDF). Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ ""Green Light to Restore Iconic Dome; Project Will Bring Landmark Back to Its Former Glory" - Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), July 11, 2012 | Online Research Library: Questia". www.questia.com. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
- ↑ Proctor, Kate (2014-10-23). "Petition to save the Boardwalk Cafe in Whitley Bay fails to sway North Tyneside Council". nechronicle. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
- ↑ Sharma, Sonia (2015-05-07). "North Tyneside local election results 2015: Who was elected in your area?". nechronicle. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ ""A Blot on the Landscape; CHURCH WRECKED BY FIRE A YEAR AGO YET TO BE DEMOLISHED" - Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), May 7, 2018 | Online Research Library: Questia". www.questia.com. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ ""Increased Calls for Action on 'Eyesore' Church; RESTORE IT OR DEMOLISH IT, OWNERS OF BLAZE-HIT BUILDING TOLD" - Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), September 28, 2018 | Online Research Library: Questia". www.questia.com. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ "Funding boost for Whitley Bay group to help tackle loneliness". www.newsguardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ ""Residents Object to Plan for New Homes" - The Journal (Newcastle, England), August 8, 2017 | Online Research Library: Questia". www.questia.com. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ "Plans for new homes near Whitley Bay school are rejected". www.newsguardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ Sharma, Sonia (2018-05-30). "Whitley Bay set to get new post office after residents launch campaign". nechronicle. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ↑ "North Tyneside Council Election results 2019". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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