Councillor Jonathan Owen has been elected as the new Leader of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
Councillor Owen, who represents the East Wolds and Coastal Ward, is one of the authorities longest serving members, having first been elected to the Council in 1999 and from 2003 served as deputy leader to former leader, Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, until 2019.
In recent years, Councillor Owen has been the Councils lead on the health and well-being agenda and recently was chair of the health and well-being board.
The integration of the health and social care agenda will still remain one of Councillor Owen’s priorities in future months as part of the national agenda but he will also be focusing on tackling inequalities, ensuring suitable housing as well as overseeing the council’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said: “The safeguarding of children and adults will always be a priority for the council and I will continue to ensure those areas are supported, but I really want to move forward the inequalities agenda and to make sure we are investing in the right areas to ensure our investments are targeted to ensuring people have the opportunity to lead healthier lifestyles and remain in their own homes for as long as possible with our growing elderly population. Helping the economy and tourism industry bounce back following the COVID-19 pandemic is key. I also want to build on the lessons learned over the last year through the pandemic, understanding how we can work more closely with the community and voluntary sector as well as the town and parish councils and support them moving forward.”
