The new Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland has been officially invested at a special investiture ceremony on Wednesday 29 May.
Mayor Neil Bendelow who was an elected councillor for South Bank between 2015 and 2019, and was re-elected in the 2023 election, said: “To be elected as Mayor is a great honour and privilege and I look forward to being a good ambassador for our area.”
He will raise money for local charity, Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice based in Normanby, which cares for babies and young children with life-limiting, life threatening or complex conditions. The Mayor will also be raising money for St John’s Church in South Bank, which needs £10,000 towards a new roof. “The church is an important part of the community and helps so many local people,” he explained.
Cllr Bendelow, who recently turned 50, works as a postman, which he has done for more than 34 years since he left school. He is a Middlesbrough Football Club supporter and season ticket holder and enjoys horse racing. He is also involved with South Bank Events Group, which organises affordable events for the local community.
He has been married to his wife Susan for nearly 20 years and they have a 18-year-old daughter called Issey, who is in her final year at Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough.
The new Deputy Mayor is Cllr Ian Hart who was elected to represent the Ormesby ward in 2023.
Outgoing Mayor, Cllr Malcolm Head, who raised £9,000 to be split between his two charities Footprints in the Community and the Junction Foundation was thanked for his work at the investiture today.