TRIBUTES were paid to a long-serving council leader who stepped down yesterday after ten years.

Wear Valley District councillor Olive Brown is succeeded by her deputy Neil Stonehouse, who won a vote of Labour members last week.

Mrs Brown, a councillor in Crook for 35 years, told the authority's annual meeting yesterday she had been badly affected by the death of close friend and colleague, Belle Bousfield, last July.

She said: "I had already thought to myself I would see out the term of office and leave in 2007.

"But Belle's death really affected me very much. I had lost my best friend at the council and that changed the way I felt about it.

"Let the council have someone who is not thinking about stepping down.

"It is time for me to take a back seat. I'll still concentrate on my role as a ward councillor for Crook and remain committed to that.

"I have enjoyed my ten years as leader and have led the council through some important changes and enjoyed several achievements."

One success, she said, had been to end the rivalry between Crook and Bishop Auckland.

She said: "People used to look at the two areas as different entities, but I think now the whole of Wear Valley pulls together.

"We were a very poor performing council when I took over, but now I feel we are improving all the time."

"I have also made Wear Valley well-known across the continent, mainly through my work as a member of the EU's Committee of the Regions Education and Culture Commission."

Councillor Stonehouse, from Coundon, said: "Olive has been an excellent leader over the past ten years and Wear Valley has changed considerably for the better in that time.

"She has done a lot to improve the situation between political parties and has put a tremendous amount of effort into her role. She has always been approachable to members of the public and councillors.

"She has been absolutely dedicated and passionate about Wear Valley."