Biography: about Rory

Rory Palmer is Deputy City Mayor of Leicester City and a Labour councillor.

Born in Worksop, Rory was educated at Hartland Comprehensive and York University where he studied Social Policy.

He was first elected as a Leicester City Councillor in May 2007 representing Eyres Monsell. Rory secured re-election in May 2011 and again in May 2015.

Leicester's first directly elected city mayor, Peter Soulsby, appointed Rory as his deputy in May 2011. As Deputy City Mayor Rory currently has lead responsibility for Adult Social Care & Public Health and chairs the city's Health and Wellbeing Board.

Rory set up and chaired the Leicester Child Poverty Commission. The commission published a report setting out over 60 recommendations on tackling child poverty.

Previously, Rory held executive responsibility for climate change and also led on the city's preparations for the 2012 London Olympics. Rory has also led the development and introduction of the Leicester to Work programme including new apprenticeships and paid work placements to tackle youth unemployment.

From June 2011 Rory was executive portfolio holder for transport where he introduced a new highways apprenticeship scheme, developed a new programme of 20mph zones across the city and initiated a public suggestion scheme for locating 100 extra winter grit bins.

Rory has also been cabinet member at the city council for adult social care and was a board member for the successful 2009 Special Olympics national games hosted in Leicester. He has served as a member of the Local Government Association's Innovation Board and as a governor at a local further education college.

In 2014 Rory was a candidate for Labour in the European Parliament elections in the East Midlands. He was second on the list of Labour candidates behind sitting MEP Glenis Willmott and narrowly missed out on winning a seat.

At the 2010 General Election Rory contested the Bosworth constituency for Labour.

Rory is a member of the Labour Party's East Midlands Regional Board and represents party members in the region on the National Policy Forum where he has worked on the Health & Care and Britain's Global Role policy commissions. Rory is also a member of Labour's Joint Policy Committee, the body which oversees Labour's policy-making process.

TV interview for BBC Politics Show.
Photo: Paul Gilroy Photography.

2011 election campaign in Eyres Monsell with
Labour's Deputy Leader Harriet Harman MP.