THREE first-time councillors will take on committee leadership roles under Brighton and Hove City Council’s new Labour administration.

Former Government advisor Tom Bewick, community manager Karen Barford and town planner Julie Cattell will all head up key committee groups under the line-up announced by Labour this afternoon.

Their appointments are set to be confirmed at the annual council meeting on Thursday at Brighton Town Hall along with long-serving Conservative councillor Lynda Hyde as mayor and Green councillor Pete West to be named deputy mayor after the original deputy mayor elect Geoffrey Bowden lost his Queen’s Park seat.

Father-of-three and new Westbourne councillor Tom Bewick will bring two decades of experience in education, skills and enterprise including a seven-year stint advising the Labour government on youth and adult education to the children, young people and skills committee while former city council planning officer Julie Cattell will chair the planning committee.

New Queen’s Park councillor and Macmillan community manager Karen Barford will co-chair the health and wellbeing board with her partner Dan Yates who is a former Adur district councillor and NHS manager.

Other appointments announced will see Gill Mitchell as environment and transport committee chairwoman, Hanover and Elm Grove councillor Emma Daniel will head the newly-named neighbourhoods, communities and equalities committee while Moulsecoomb and Bevendean councillor Anne Meadows will chair the housing and new homes committee.

The experienced South Portslade councillor Les Hamilton will be deputy leader and finance lead while Mo Marsh will become licencing committee chairwoman.

Councillor Warren Morgan, who will chair both policy and resources committee and economic development and culture, said: “My council administration will include a very strong mix of experience and knowledge, fresh ideas and new talent to meet the challenges that we face on housing and schools, refuse services and the city economy, neighbourhoods and equalities.”