Newcastle council chief Pam Smith named next Solace president

Newcastle City Council chief executive Pam Smith has been named the next president of Solace, the national membership network representing around 1,900 senior local government and public sector leaders.

Smith will succeed Robin Tuddenham on 1 January 2027, while continuing in her role at Newcastle. Her appointment was confirmed at Solace's annual general meeting in Liverpool on 21 October, alongside changes to the organisation's Policy Board.

Smith has led Newcastle City Council since January 2022. She previously served as chief executive of Stockport Council from 2017, having earlier led Burnley Council and worked at the Audit Commission.

Her career has included leading regeneration work in Stockport and Burnley. She has also spent the past two years as Solace's Policy Lead for Economic Prosperity, giving her an existing role in the organisation's national policy work.

Smith said she intends to share Newcastle's experience with local government leaders across the country and bring ideas from elsewhere back to the city.

“I look forward to bringing our experiences as a city to this national role, while also bringing ideas, learning and best practice from across the country back to Newcastle,” she said.

She also linked her commitment to tackling inequality to her own experience of growing up in a council house and receiving free school meals.

The appointment comes as Solace expands its Policy Board with two new portfolios covering Devolution and Civility.

The Devolution portfolio will focus on devolution, place-based leadership and the evolving role of strategic authorities. It will be led by Amy Harhoff of the East Midlands Combined Authority, supported by deputies from Wigan and Liverpool.

The Civility portfolio will address standards and behaviour in local government, building on Solace's Commission on Professional Standards and Ethics and its recently published report, Enough is Enough: A Blueprint for Rebuilding Standards in Local Government.

Several North East local government figures have also secured positions on the refreshed board.

Sunderland's Patrick Melia will lead the Local Government Finance portfolio, while Darlington's Rose Rouse becomes deputy for Economic Growth. North Tyneside's Jackie Laughton and Tees Valley's Emily Yule will serve as deputies for Civility.

The new Policy Board arrangements have taken effect immediately. Tuddenham will remain president until the end of 2026 before stepping down from the board, with Smith beginning her two-year term on 1 January.