Jeremy Beecham

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Sir Jeremy Beecham, DL (b. 1944) is a British Labour politician and a senior figure in English local government. He was leader of Newcastle City Council and the first Chairman of the Local Government Association. He is the elected Chairman of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party (October 2005 - September 2006).

Beecham was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne and University College, Oxford, where he obtained a first class honours degree in law. He became a solicitor. He joined the Labour Party in 1959, and was elected a councillor for Benwell, Newcastle, in 1967. He stood for Parliament without success in Tynemouth in 1970. He chaired the Social Services Committee on the council from 1973 to 1977 and was Leader of Newcastle from 1977 to 1994, chairing the Finance Committee from 1979 to 1984.

In 1991 Beecham became Chairman of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities (AMA). When the AMA merged with the Association of District Councils and the Association of County Councils on 1 April 1997 to form the Local Government Association, he became the first chairman of the LGA. He is, as of 2006, the LGA vice-chairman, with Conservative Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart as Chairman, and continues to chair the LGA Labour Group.

Beecham has been a member of many boards and committees in Newcastle and North East England, and advising government. He has been a member of the Labour Party National Executive Committee since 1998 and was its chairman. He became a Knight Bachelor in the 1994 Birthday Honours and was made a Freeman of the City of Newcastle in 1995. He is Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Tyne and Wear and continues to represent Benwell and Scotswood on the City Council.

Preceded by: (new post)	Chairman of the Local Government Association 1997–2005	Succeeded by: Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart
Preceded by: Ian McCartney	Chairman of the National Executive Committee of The Labour Party 2005 – present	Incumbent