A Weardalian who is to be appointed to the House of Lords in the New Year has revealed what he has chosen as his title.
Nick Forbes CBE, who is a former pupil of Wolsingham School, will become Lord Forbes of Newcastle, od Heaton in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne.
He said, “As I was Leader of Newcastle City Council for more than a decade, I thought it appropriate to include the city in my title. So, from 9th January, this will be my title – when my Letters Patent are formally sealed by the King – and I am then due to officially be introduced to the House of Lords on Tues 13th January.”
The soon-to-be Lord Forbes regularly visits his mother, Pam, who lives in Westgate and he has now added to the degrees he earned from Selwyn College, Cambridge (social and political sciences), the Open University (Masters in Music) and a Management Diploma from Sheffield Hallam University with yet another.
Earlier this month, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law by Newcastle University.
Nick said, “It was immensely humbling to receive the same degree, from the same university, as Martin Luther King Jr was given in 1967. So 2025 has been a year of both great sorrow, with losing my dad, but also great joy with these two wonderful honours.”
Despite choosing Newcastle in his new title, Lord Forbes still retains a love of his home area.
“My mother always keeps me up to date with local news. And, of course, having grown up in the Dale I always carry a piece of it in my heart, wherever I go and whatever I do.”
