Title: Leader of the Council
Representing: Leeds City Council
Party: Labour
Political grouping: Labour
Councillor Judith Blake was elected as the first ever female Leader of Leeds City Council in May 2015. She is the Council’s Executive Board Member for Inclusive Growth and Culture.
Councillor Blake is the Chair of the Core Cities Group. The Group represents the Councils of England’s eight largest city economies outside London, along with Glasgow and Cardiff. She is also Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children & Young People’s Board.
Councillor Blake has been a Labour Councillor since 1996 and represents Middleton & Belle Isle in Leeds. Her time as a Councillor has seen her have responsibility for a wide range of portfolios including Planning, Education and Leisure. Councillor Blake currently chairs the Council’s Executive Board and has also served as a board member for NHS Leeds and the West Yorkshire Police Authority.
In 2017, Councillor Blake was awarded a CBE in recognition of service to local government.