EX-MILITARY man William Brown has been appointed as the leader of Barnsley Council following Reform’s historic election win last week.

Councillor Brown was one of three Reform candidates to oust the Labour councillors from the North East ward last week, receiving 1,212 votes in total.

He says he is a ‘family man’ who served ten years in the military.

Following his apointment, which was made at Reform’s meeting on Tuesday, he said: “I am delighted to have been chosen by my group colleagues to lead them.

“It will be an honour to serve as the Leader of Barnsley Council.

“We’re now working to appoint a cabinet that will support us in taking Barnsley Council forward for the benefit of all residents in the borough, including those who voted for us and those who did not.

“We understand people are keen to hear our plans for Barnsley, but it’s important we don’t rush into major decisions.

“We’re in a period of transition, and we will have more to say in the coming weeks.”

Councillor Edward Dillingham, who was elected into the Stairfoot ward, has been named as Brown’s deputy.

He is a businessman and father-of-three.

He added: “William will be a great leader for Barnsley and I look forward to working with him as we take the council forward.

“We’re here for every resident, and we’re committed to making our borough an even better place to live.”