Early life and career
Karen Anne Clark [1] was born and raised in North Tyneside. [2] She has two siblings,her brother Tom and her sister Julie. They grew up in a deprived area of the borough where they lived in poverty. [3] Clark attended Northumbria University,where she studied social research and sociology. [4]
In 2007,Clark and her sister Julie founded Justice Prince Community Interest Company,a volunteering organisation which aims to tackle social and regional economic inequality in the North East of England. [5] [6] [7] She is also a former teacher and youth worker. [4]
Political career
In the 2015 North Tyneside Council election,Clark was elected to serve as the Labour councillor for the Longbenton ward. [8] She was re-elected in the 2019 and 2023 council elections. [9] In the 2024 North Tyneside Council election,she was elected to represent the reorganised Longbenton and Benton ward. [10] [11]
In 2021,Clark was appointed to the cabinet of North Tyneside mayor Norma Redfearn as the cabinet member for public health and wellbeing. [12] [13] [14] In 2024,Clark was selected as Labour's candidate in the 2025 North Tyneside mayoral election after Norma Redfearn,the outgoing Labour mayor,endorsed her for the role. [13] [15]
In her mayoral campaign,Clark campaigned on economic investment,employment and continuity with Redfearn's administration. [16] [17] In an interview with the BBC,she said she would focus on introducing "good quality jobs",attracting additional government funding for North Tyneside and cooperating with local businesses to attract economic growth. [18]
On 2 May 2025,Clark was elected as the new mayor of North Tyneside with 16,230 votes,or 30.2% of the vote,with a majority of 444. [19] [20] In her victory speech,she thanked her supporters and said she would work to make "North Tyneside an even better place to live,work and visit". [21] She pledged to focus on attracting new jobs,building more affordable social housing and improving opportunities for young people. [22] After her election as mayor,Clark stood down from her position as a councillor for Longbenton and Benton,triggering a by-election for that ward. [23] [24]
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