Stoke-on-Trent City Councillor Abi Brown has been recognised in the King’s New Years Honours for services to local government. First elected in 2010, Abi represents the Meir Park ward, and served as initially deputy leader and then leader of the city council between 2015 and 2023. She is a Deputy Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), and leads for the LGA on sector-led improvement, sharing best practice between local authorities.
“Being recognised in the King’s New Years Honours for services to local government is incredibly humbling. I have had the most enormous privilege of championing my small but mighty city of Stoke-on-Trent on national and international stages at maybe one of the most important stages of its evolution, and I continue to represent the most wonderful community in the Meir Park ward. Alongside that, I’ve been able to represent the great work of local government in the heart of national government, ensuring the value it delivers across our country is recognised in Westminster.”
“I first stood to be a councillor as I saw so few people like me represented in local government - young women with families, aspiring to improve the place they lived. I saw so many of my friends leaving the city to live and work elsewhere, and felt sad that somewhere with so many opportunities was failing to seize its own potential. I never expected to be anything more than a backbench councillor - so playing a leading role on Stoke-on-Trent City Council for 8 years including as council leader, was the most amazing privilege and I am exceptionally proud of the many projects I initiated that are helping to play a part in transforming our brilliant city.
“Local government is responsible for so much that we all rely on, yet often feels unsung for both the scale and depth of services it provides and I wanted to contribute to changing public perception on this. I first became involved with the LGA in 2017, and my involvement has developed from initially talking about what it was like to be a young woman leading a city, to sharing my experiences of dealing with challenging situations, encouraging regeneration and balancing that with improving local services for the most vulnerable. I believe strongly in localism, local government is the backbone of all our communities.”
