The leader of Gateshead's Liberal Democrats is stepping down.
Jonathan Wallace has confirmed he will quit as leader of the Gateshead Council's opposition party later this month, retiring from the post he has held for almost eight years.
Coun Wallace said that the deaths of his brother, Andrew, and closest friend Richard Williams, for whom he was a carer for four years, had made him realise that "time was running out" for him to do things he had shelved to focus on council work.
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The Whickham South and Sunniside ward councillor, who gave up work in 2009 to live “the Good Life”, also plans to devote more time to his farm.
Coun Wallace said: “Andrew was 59 when he died and Richard was only 49. Their deaths brought home to me that time is running out for me to carry out the plans I had but which had been shelved during the past 36 years I’ve been on Gateshead Council.
“In addition, in February 2022, we added another 15 acres to our farm near Sunniside and it requires a great deal of work to run it.
“I, therefore, informed the group in December that I will be standing down this month and the full council meeting on January 26 will be my last as leader.
“I intend to remain as councillor for Whickham South and Sunniside which I have represented for 36 years, subject of course to residents continuing to vote for me in local elections.”
The avid historian intends to continue as a councillor for the ward he has represented since 1987.
The Lib Dem group will elect a new leader on January 23 and will announce the result on January 26.
Coun Wallace first became leader of the opposition in March 2015, taking over from Frank Hindle, having served as deputy for four years.
He has courted some controversy in his time in the job, including being lambasted in 2019 for calling Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness "a Barbie Doll reading from a script".
Mr Wallace's YouTube channel has also landed him in hot water. In 2018, he uploaded a video in which he described the council's pandemic planning as "a complete waste of time", a comment which resurfaced in 2021 as the world battled with Covid-19.
Deputy Lib Dem leader Ron Beadle said: "Jonathan Wallace has been a terrific leader for the Gateshead Lib Dems. His commitment to putting sustainability at the heart of the council’s work is unequalled and comes with enormous personal authority.
"His 36 years as a councillor is a remarkable record of public service and we hope that there will be many more years to come."
Labour councillor and leader of the council Martin Gannon added: "I have been a member of the council since 1984 and I think Jonathan came on in 1987. We have served 36 years together.
"All I can do is acknowledge his contribution. He has been a major part of this council despite the fact he is a member of the opposition.
"Despite this, I like to think we worked collaboratively. Jonathan's heart, whilst we don't always agree, was always in the right place for his residents and constituents."
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