Mark Meredith
| Mark Meredith | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent | |
|
In office 5 May 2005 – 5 June 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Mike Wolfe |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mark Joseph Meredith 21 August 1965 Pyenest Street, Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Residence | Sneyd Green, Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Occupation | Businessperson, Mayor, Councillor |
Mark Joseph Meredith (born 21 August 1965 in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent) was the second and last directly elected mayor of Stoke-on-Trent in England. An openly gay man and former amateur boxer he was elected on 5 May 2005, for the Labour Party, and defeated incumbent independent Mike Wolfe. In March 2009, Meredith was arrested on suspicion of corruption in office, but was never charged. He returned to the City Council as a Councillor for the Birches Head and Central Forest Park ward at the 2011 local elections serving until his defeat in 2015. On 8th May it was confirmed that he had not been re-elected for his ward for another term of Office, being replaced by a candidate of the City Independent group in Stoke-on-Trent.
A member of the Labour Party since 1982, Meredith held posts at various levels of the Labour Party, including time as a member of the national committee, representing the West Midlands, of the Labour Party's youth section, the Labour Party Young Socialists (LPYS) prior to its disbandment at the 1987 Labour Party Conference. He also worked for several years during this time as a youth organiser for the Militant tendency. A local businessman in the Stoke-on-Trent town of Hanley since 1991, he was selected as the Mayoral Labour candidate in December 2004, defeating four others to win the Labour nomination.
In the mayoral election of 5 May 2005, Meredith polled ahead of the Conservative candidate Roger Ibbs in second place, Mike Wolfe (independent), a BNP candidate and three other non-aligned independents.
He concentrated much of his efforts to bringing the City Council's long-term financial deficits under control.
In July 2007, Meredith formed a de facto executive model for Stoke-on-Trent City Council of Mayor and Cabinet in all but name. This first move away from the Mayor and Council Manager model (the only one of its kind in England) was generally welcomed by most political groups represented on the Council. The Council Executive was represented in its number from all three main political parties, Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats.
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