Andy Preston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Middlesbrough | |
| In office 6 May 2019 –8 May 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Budd |
| Succeeded by | Chris Cooke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 July 1966 Middlesbrough,North Yorkshire,England |
| Political party | Independent |
| Education | Edinburgh University |
| Occupation | Businessman,charity chairman,politician |
Andy Preston (born 31 July 1966) is an English politician,charity chairman,and businessman. He was the elected Mayor of Middlesbrough from May 2019 until May 2023. [1] [2] [3] [4]
While working as a fund manager in London and New York,Preston was a patron of international children's charity ARK between 2002-2008. [5] [6] He also served as chairman of charity Fairbridge Teesside from 2005 to 2010. [7] The first charity he founded was Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation in 2011,which raises and distributes funds to boost communities across the urban area of Teesside.
An early supporter and trustee of the charity was public relations executive Mark Bolland The Foundation is supported by a number of local businesses including Middlesbrough Football Club and Steve Gibson's Bulkhaul. It has also won support from Olympic long jumper Chris Tomlinson. [8]
Preston launched a second charity in 2013 to alleviate homelessness and poverty across the UK called CEO Sleepout. [9] The charity raises funds by holding events across the country. [9] In December 2016 Preston launched a charity restaurant,The Fork in the Road,in Middlesbrough,providing employment opportunities for ex-offenders,recovering addicts and the long term unemployed. [10]
Preston previously chaired Tees Valley Education,an academy trust operating in some of the UK's most disadvantaged areas. [11]
Andy Preston worked as a trader and fund manager,overseeing operations in London and New York. [12] After returning to the North East of England he started investing in a range of commercial property ventures. [13] He has also invested in a number of start-up businesses. [14]
Andy Preston was historically an active member of the Labour Party, [15] blogging for them and addressing their national conference in 2006 and 2007 respectively. In 2013 he spearheaded a successful campaign to retain the role of elected mayor of Middlesbrough. [16] Preston stood for election as an independent in 2015 to become elected mayor of Middlesbrough,narrowly losing out to Labour's Dave Budd. [17] In 2016 Preston took up a voluntary role as a regional business ambassador for the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign ahead of the referendum to decide whether the country should remain or leave the European Union. [18] After being linked as a potential candidate to become the first Tees Valley Mayor,Preston ruled himself out of the race but warned against the election of a career politician . [19]
Preston was elected as Mayor of Middlesbrough on 2 May 2019,after running as an independent. He won in the first round with 59% (17,418) of the votes counted,with Labour's Mick Thompson coming second with 6,693 votes. [20]
His mayoral polices included making Middlesbrough a hunger free town,where emergency food and help was made available to residents seven days a week. [21] Other notable polices were prioritising the building of social housing on a large scale,crime reduction via a massive roll-out of CCTV and attracting external investment to reverse economic decline. During Preston's tenure as mayor,Middlesbrough garnered recognition in the Financial Times' European Cities and Regions of the Future report,ranking as the third most promising small city in Europe for investment opportunities. [22] [23] Additionally,Preston emphasized tree planting initiatives and their environmental benefits.The successful planting of 10,000 trees led to Middlesbrough being officially designated as a Tree City of the World in 2021. [23] [24]
In a local election held in 2023 he was defeated by the Labour candidate Chris Cooke who won 10,956 votes to Preston’s 10,196. [2]
Preston and his wife have lived at Otterington Hall,a grade II-listed mansion near Northallerton,since at least 2007. [25] [26] It has "one of the best topiary gardens in England and certainly the best in Yorkshire". [25]
Middlesbrough,colloquially known as Boro,is a port town in North Yorkshire,England. Lying to the south of the River Tees,Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside built-up area and the Tees Valley. It is located 41 miles (66 km) south of Newcastle upon Tyne,43 miles (69 km) north of York,66 miles (106 km) north-west of Leeds,and 217 miles (349 km) north of London. With a population of 148,215 recorded in 2021,Middlesbrough is one of the largest settlements in North East England.
Ray Mallon is a British politician who served as the independent Mayor of Middlesbrough from 2002 to 2015. Prior to his political career he served in the police until he resigned after pleading guilty to charges of misconduct.
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Middlesbrough was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom,recreated in 1974,and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2012 until its abolition for the 2024 general election by Andy McDonald of the Labour Party. An earlier version of the seat existed between 1868 and 1918.
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Teesside Park is a retail and leisure park in Thornaby-on-Tees,built in 1988. Located just off the A66 near the A66/A19 interchange,it is split between the unitary authorities of Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough with the line of the Old River Tees,which runs down the middle of the development,forming the boundary between the two authorities. The development has a central building that was constructed in 2008.
Stephen Gibson is a British entrepreneur and the chairman and owner of Middlesbrough Football Club. In May 2024,he was listed 350th on the Sunday Times Rich List,with a net worth of £640 million,he is the second richest person from the North East of England.
Middlesbrough Council is a unitary authority in North Yorkshire,England. Until 1 April 1996 it was a non-metropolitan district in Cleveland. Since 2002 it has also had a directly elected mayor.
Andrew Joseph McDonald is a British Labour Party politician and solicitor serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East since 2012.
The Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation is a philanthropic and charitable institution that was established in March 2011 in Middlesbrough,England as a patriotic and activist group which aims to raise money from businesses and affluent individuals to make Teesside a better place in which to live,work and do business. Andy Preston set up the foundation with the help of Tanya Garland and since launch Preston has recruited the financial backing of more than 40 businesses and individuals. Businesses involved as patrons of the Foundation include Middlesbrough Football Club,Steve Gibson's Bulkhaul,Cleveland Cable Company,Barclays Middlesbrough and AV Dawson.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is the local authority for Redcar and Cleveland,a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire,England. Since 1996 the council has been a unitary authority,being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The council was created in 1974 as Langbaurgh Borough Council and was a lower-tier authority until 1996 when it was renamed and became a unitary authority,taking over county-level functions from the abolished Cleveland County Council.
Christopher David Budd is a British politician. He served as the Mayor of Middlesbrough from 2015 until 2019. When elected,he became the second person to hold the post,having succeeded Ray Mallon.
Chris McDonald is a British Labour Party politician,chemical engineer and former business executive,who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockton North since 2024.
CEO Sleepout UK is a charity that raises money to fight homelessness and poverty across the UK. Money is raised by business executives being sponsored to sleep rough for a night.
The inaugural Tees Valley mayoral election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect the mayor of the Tees Valley Combined Authority. The mayor was elected by the supplementary vote system. Subsequent elections will be held in May 2021 and every four years after 2024.
Ben Houchen,Baron Houchen of High Leven,is a British Conservative politician and life peer. He has been Tees Valley Mayor since 2017,winning the inaugural mayoral election in the combined authority. Houchen was re-elected in 2021 and won a third term in 2024.
Sir Simon Richard Clarke is a British Conservative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland from 2017 to 2024. He briefly served as Secretary of State for Levelling Up,Housing and Communities from September to October 2022 and Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 to 2022.
The Borough of Middlesbrough is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire,England,based around the town of Middlesbrough in the north of the county. Middlesbrough Council became a unitary authority in 1996. The borough is part of the Tees Valley Combined Authority,along with the boroughs of Stockton-on-Tees,Redcar and Cleveland,Hartlepool and Darlington. There are two parish councils in the area of the borough of Middlesbrough,Nunthorpe and Stainton and Thornton respectively.
Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC) is a publicly-owned mayoral development corporation created to fund,manage,and accelerate regeneration in Middlesbrough town centre and Middlehaven,England.
Chris Cooke is a British Labour Party politician. Since May 2023,he has been the directly elected Mayor of Middlesbrough. By virtue of being Mayor of Middlesbrough,he is a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority Board and the Cleveland Police and Crime Panel.