Stuart Drummond
Encyclopedia
Stuart Drummond is the first directly-elected mayor
of Hartlepool
in North East England
. He was first elected in 2002 and was re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He was the first elected mayor in Britain to win a third term.
in business finance and languages at Salford University. Before his election he had played the mascot – 'H'Angus the Monkey'
– for Hartlepool United F.C.
in the north east of England
, in the 2002 election
. He was originally put up for election by the football club, as a publicity stunt for their mascot and the football club. He took part in no serious campaigning and his only promise was for the council to provide free bananas for school children. He was the only candidate absent from the various local forums and question and answers sessions held during the campaign. Unexpectedly Drummond was narrowly elected, beating the second place Labour Party
candidate by 5,696 to 5,174. The result was greeted with widespread hilarity, attracting attention far beyond Hartlepool. Canada's National Post
newspaper ran the headline "Monkey wins mayoralty, regains human form". Following his narrow win, a "furious" Peter Mandelson
, who was MP for Hartlepool, forbade Drummond to wear the monkey suit again.
After his election, Drummond stood down as mascot. Drummond failed to fulfil his commitment to ensure the council provide free bananas due to a shortage of funds, although he worked with Hartlepool Primary Care Trust to ensure fresh fruit was available in all schools. Drummond is most commonly found at home matches where he has a regular spot in the Mill House Stand, although he does refuse to talk politics during the match. Drummond also writes a regular column in home match programmes for Hartlepool FC.
On 5 May 2005, Drummond was re-elected as the mayor of Hartlepool with an increased majority of 10,205. On 4 June 2009, Drummond was re-elected for a third term.
A campaign group set up in 2006 hoped to trigger a referendum that would abolish the office of mayor and adopt the alternative leader and cabinet system of local government leadership.
Drummond is married to Rebecca and they have three children, a son and two girls. He was a finalist for the 2010 World Mayor
prize.
Mayors in the United Kingdom
In England, the office of mayor or lord mayor had long been ceremonial posts, with few or no duties attached to it. A mayor's term of office denotes the municipal year. The most famous example is that of the Lord Mayor of the City of London....
of Hartlepool
Hartlepool (borough)
Hartlepool is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of County Durham, north east England. In 2003 it had a resident population of 90,161. It borders the non-metropolitan county of County Durham to the north, Stockton-on-Tees to the south and Redcar and Cleveland to the south-east along the...
in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. He was first elected in 2002 and was re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He was the first elected mayor in Britain to win a third term.
Biography
Drummond was born 29 November 1973. He gained an HNDHigher National Diploma
A Higher National Diploma is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. This qualification can be used to gain entry into universities, and is considered equivalent to the first or second year of a university degree course....
in business finance and languages at Salford University. Before his election he had played the mascot – 'H'Angus the Monkey'
H'Angus
H'Angus the Monkey is the official mascot of Hartlepool United F.C.. The name "H'Angus" is a pun of the word hang and the name Angus, and is derived from the monkey hanger legend of Hartlepool. The mascot made his debut on October 31, 1999, during Hartlepool’s first round F.A...
– for Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
Mayor of Hartlepool
He stood for election to Mayor of the Borough of Hartlepool, a unitary authorityUnitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
in the north east of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in the 2002 election
Hartlepool Council election, 2002
Elections to Hartlepool Council in the ceremonial county of County Durham in England were held on 2 May 2002. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control...
. He was originally put up for election by the football club, as a publicity stunt for their mascot and the football club. He took part in no serious campaigning and his only promise was for the council to provide free bananas for school children. He was the only candidate absent from the various local forums and question and answers sessions held during the campaign. Unexpectedly Drummond was narrowly elected, beating the second place Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate by 5,696 to 5,174. The result was greeted with widespread hilarity, attracting attention far beyond Hartlepool. Canada's National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
newspaper ran the headline "Monkey wins mayoralty, regains human form". Following his narrow win, a "furious" Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
, who was MP for Hartlepool, forbade Drummond to wear the monkey suit again.
After his election, Drummond stood down as mascot. Drummond failed to fulfil his commitment to ensure the council provide free bananas due to a shortage of funds, although he worked with Hartlepool Primary Care Trust to ensure fresh fruit was available in all schools. Drummond is most commonly found at home matches where he has a regular spot in the Mill House Stand, although he does refuse to talk politics during the match. Drummond also writes a regular column in home match programmes for Hartlepool FC.
On 5 May 2005, Drummond was re-elected as the mayor of Hartlepool with an increased majority of 10,205. On 4 June 2009, Drummond was re-elected for a third term.
A campaign group set up in 2006 hoped to trigger a referendum that would abolish the office of mayor and adopt the alternative leader and cabinet system of local government leadership.
Drummond is married to Rebecca and they have three children, a son and two girls. He was a finalist for the 2010 World Mayor
World Mayor
World Mayor is a biennial award organized by The City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of cities, nationally and internationally...
prize.