Karen Clark (British politician)
{{Short description|Mayor of North Tyneside, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Karen Clark
| office = Mayor of North Tyneside
| term_start = 5 May 2025
| succeeding =
| successor =
| party = Labour
| majority = 444 (0.8%)
| image = Karen Clark, North Tyneside Councillor for Longbenton and Benton (cropped).jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2022
| birth_name = Karen Anne Clark
| birth_place = North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England
| office2 = North Tyneside Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing
| 2blankname2 = Mayor
| termstart2 = 11 May 2021
| termend2 = 5 May 2025
| 2namedata2 = Norma Redfearn
| office3 = Member of North Tyneside Council
for Longbenton and Benton
{{nobold|Longbenton (2015–2024)}}
| predecessor3 = Kevin Conroy
| termstart3 = 7 May 2015
| majority3 =
| alma_mater = Northumbria University
| predecessor = Norma Redfearn
| termend3 = 5 May 2025
| deputy = Carl Johnson
| successor2 = Joan Walker
}}
Karen Anne Clark is a British politician who has served as the mayor of North Tyneside since 2025. A member of the Labour Party, she served as a member of North Tyneside Council for the ward of Longbenton and Benton (formerly Longbenton) from 2015 to 2025. From 2021 to 2025, she served under former mayor Norma Redfearn as her cabinet member for public health and wellbeing.
Early life and career
Karen Anne Clark{{Cite web |date=2 May 2025 |title=Mayoral election results: 2025 results |url=https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/441/mayoral-election-results |access-date=2 May 2025 |website=North Tyneside Council}} was born and raised in North Tyneside.{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=31 October 2024 |title=Labour announces councillor as North Tyneside Council Mayoral candidate for 2025 |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/labour-announces-councillor-north-tyneside-30265781 |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live}} She has two siblings, her brother Tom and her sister Julie. They grew up in a deprived area of the borough where they lived in poverty.{{Cite book |last=Košťálová |first=Helena |url=https://www.ekscr.cz/sites/default/files/obrazky/soubory/publikace/thediverseworldofcareerguidance.pdf |title=The Diverse World of Career Guidance |publisher=European Contact Group |year=2017 |isbn=978-80-87993-04-0 |pages=17–20 |access-date=3 May 2025}} Clark attended Northumbria University, where she studied social research and sociology.{{Cite web |title=Justice Prince Directors and Staff |url=https://www.justiceprince.co.uk/html/dirstaff.htm |access-date=3 May 2025 |website=Justice Prince}}
In 2007, Clark and her sister Julie founded Justice Prince Community Interest Company, a volunteering organisation which aims to tackle social and regional economic inequality in the North East of England.{{Cite news |last=Volpe |first=Sam |date=15 December 2023 |title=Longbenton community garden gets renewable power as part of vital fight against health inequality |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/health/longbenton-justice-prince-garden-renewable-28267270 |access-date=3 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live}}{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.justiceprince.co.uk/html/about.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204092559/http://www.justiceprince.co.uk/html/about.htm |archive-date=4 December 2023 |access-date=2 May 2025 |website=Justice Prince Community Interest Company}}{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=17 October 2024 |title=Dame Norma Redfearn endorses cabinet colleague as candidate for mayor |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/mayor-redfearn-endorse-election-2025-30169202 |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live}} She is also a former teacher and youth worker.
Political career
In the 2015 North Tyneside Council election, Clark was elected to serve as the Labour councillor for the Longbenton ward.{{Cite web |title=2015 local election results |url=http://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/454/2015-local-election-results |access-date=2 May 2025 |website=North Tyneside Council}} She was re-elected in the 2019 and 2023 council elections.{{Cite web |title=2019 local election results |url=https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/1373/2019-local-election-results |access-date=2 May 2025 |website=North Tyneside Council |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612160837/https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/1373/2019-local-election-results |url-status=live }} In the 2024 North Tyneside Council election, she was elected to represent the reorganised Longbenton and Benton ward.{{Cite web |title=2024 local election results |url=https://northtyneside.gov.uk/category/1751/2024-local-election-results |access-date=2 May 2025 |website=North Tyneside Council}}{{Cite news |last=Younger |first=Owen |date=13 September 2024 |title=Councillor launches campaign to become next North Tyneside Elected Mayor |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-tyneside-councillor-elected-mayor-29934366 |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live |archive-date=25 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925003633/https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-tyneside-councillor-elected-mayor-29934366 |url-status=live }}
In 2021, Clark was appointed to the cabinet of North Tyneside mayor Norma Redfearn as the cabinet member for public health and wellbeing.{{Cite web |title=Councillor Karen Clark |url=https://democracy.northtyneside.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=141 |access-date=2 May 2025 |website=North Tyneside Council}}{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=19 October 2024 |title=Mayor backs her Labour colleague in election race |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-journal-1216/20241019/281565181228458 |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=The Journal}}{{Cite web |date=11 May 2021 |title=Elected Mayor appoints new Cabinet |url=https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/news/28272/elected-mayor-appoints-new-cabinet |access-date=2 May 2025 |website=North Tyneside Council |archive-date=24 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250424093426/https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/news/28272/elected-mayor-appoints-new-cabinet |url-status=live }} In 2024, Clark was selected as Labour's candidate in the 2025 North Tyneside mayoral election after Norma Redfearn, the outgoing Labour mayor, endorsed her for the role.{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=31 October 2024 |title=Labour announces mayoral election candidate |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gp3425repo |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=BBC News |archive-date=6 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241106094106/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gp3425repo |url-status=live }}
In her mayoral campaign, Clark campaigned on economic investment, employment and continuity with Redfearn's administration.{{Cite news |date=6 April 2025 |title=Who is in the running to be North Tyneside mayor? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7892y49p3zo |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=BBC News}}{{Cite news |last=Ashton |first=Jake |date=25 April 2025 |title=Labour's Karen Clark Dominates Betting in North Tyneside Mayoral Race |url=https://www.olbg.com/news/north-tyneside-mayoral-election-odds-labours-karen-clark-leads-betting-ahead-may-1-vote |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=OLBG.com}} In an interview with the BBC, she said she would focus on introducing "good quality jobs", attracting additional government funding for North Tyneside and cooperating with local businesses to attract economic growth.{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=1 May 2025 |title=Who are the candidates for the North Tyneside mayoral election? |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-tyneside-mayor-election-candidates-31322525 |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live}}
On 2 May 2025, Clark was elected as the new mayor of North Tyneside with 16,230 votes, or 30.2% of the vote, with a majority of 444.{{Cite news |date=2 May 2025 |title=North Tyneside Mayor election results |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2025/england/mayors/E08000022 |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=BBC News}}{{cite news |date=2 May 2025 |title=Labour squeezes past Reform in North Tyneside |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c39jedewxp8t?post=asset%3A6b90d47a-f71c-44f5-8661-66cbeca9a021#post |access-date=2 May 2025 |publisher=BBC News}} In her victory speech, she thanked her supporters and said she would work to make "North Tyneside an even better place to live, work and visit".{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=2 May 2025 |title=Labour clings on to win North Tyneside Mayoral election by less than 500 votes |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-tyneside-labour-win-mayor-31555285 |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live}} She pledged to focus on attracting new jobs, building more affordable social housing and improving opportunities for young people.{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=2 May 2025 |title=New North Tyneside Mayor pledges to focus on housing, youth opportunities, and jobs |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/mayor-jobs-houses-north-tyneside-31555362 |access-date=2 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live}} After her election as mayor, Clark stood down from her position as a councillor for Longbenton and Benton, triggering a by-election for that ward.{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=9 May 2025 |title=Vacancy declared in new North Tyneside Mayor's former ward |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/longbenton-tyneside-mayor-elections-council-31600769 |access-date=10 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live}}{{Cite news |last=Shakespeare |first=Austen |date=27 May 2025 |title=By-elections triggered in North Tyneside following Mayoral race |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-tyneside-election-benton-killingworth-31735025 |access-date=28 May 2025 |work=Chronicle Live}}