Tom Middlehurst: Difference between revisions

 

=== Leader of Flintshire County Council ===

In 1994 the government [[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994|reorganised local government in Wales]], with Clwyd County Council and Alyn and Deeside District Council set to be abolished and replaced by a re-established Flintshire County Council from 1996.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=WJ4WAQAAIAAJ |title=The Local Government Companion 2003 |publisher=HM Stationery Office |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-1170-2767-1 |series=The Local Government Companion |page=380 |chapter=Flintshire County Council |access-date=9 February 2024}}</ref> At the [[1995 United Kingdom local elections|1995 local elections]], Middlehurst was elected alongside Labour colleague [[Alison Halford]] as one of two incoming councillors for Ewloe in Flintshire County Council.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rawlings |first=Colin |last2=Thrasher |first2=Michael |date=June 2015 |title=Flintshire County Council Election Results 1995–2012 |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Flintshire-1995-2012.pdf |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Plymouth University}}</ref> On 31 May 1995, the incoming members of the council elected him as Leader of the Council.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 May 1995 |title=Meeting documents: Flintshire County Council Tuesday, 30th May, 1995 |url=https://committeemeetings.flintshire.gov.uk/CeListDocuments.aspx?CommitteeId=143&MeetingId=713&DF=30%2F05%2F1995&Ver=2 |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Flintshire County Council}}</ref> He formally took office as the first leader of the reconstituted council on its re-establishment in 1996, becoming leader of a Labour [[Majority government|majority administration]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Tattum |first=George |date=1 March 1996 |title=Council tax charges set to rise by 20 per cent |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/926620975 |url-access=limited |access-date=6 February 2024 |work=Flint and Holywell Chronicle |page=17 |via=Newspapers.com |issue=11,965}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Tattum |first=George |date=19 January 1996 |title='New dawn' fears |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/926618124 |url-access=limited |access-date=6 February 2024 |work=Flint and Holywell Chronicle |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com |issue=11,959}}</ref>

 

 

== National Assembly for Wales ==

At the first election to the National Assembly for Wales on 6 May 1999, Middlehurst was elected as [[Assembly Member (Welsh Assembly)|Assembly Member]] (AM) for Alyn and Deeside with 9,772 votes, or 51.35% of the popular vote in the constituency; he had a majority of 6,359 votes.<ref name=":2" /> The constituency had a [[voter turnout]] of 32%, the lowest in Wales; it had voted against establishing a devolved assembly in the [[1997 Welsh devolution referendum|1997 devolution referendum]] by a wide margin.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":2" /> In an interview for the ''[[Chester Chronicle|Flint and Holywell Chronicle]]'' on 14 May, Middlehurst said the low voter turnout showed that his constituents still did not see the new assembly as having any relevance. He said his role was now to prove to his constituents that the National Assembly and the decisions made in it were relevant to their [[Everyday life|everyday lives]], and that to do this he had to work "diligently over a number of years" and explain "to people what we [assembly members] do and why we are doing it".<ref name=":7" /> He resigned as Leader of Flintshire County Council on the same day. The council's controlling Labour group elected Alex Aldridge to succeed him.<ref>{{Cite news |last=MacDonald |first=Neil |date=14 May 1999 |title=Aldridge is ready for leadership challenge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/930608930 |url-access=limited |access-date=6 February 2024 |work=Flint and Holywell Chronicle |page=14 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>