Simon Henig

Simon Antony Henig (born June 1969) is a British politician, former leader of Durham County Council, and from April 2014 to May 2025 was chair of the North East Combined Authority (NECA).

Early life Simon Henig was born in June 1969, the son of the former Labour MP and Lancaster council leader Stanley Henig, and the historian Ruth Henig. Simon's grandfather, Sir Mark Henig, served as Lord Mayor of Leicester and led the English Tourist Board. He was educated at Moorside Primary School, Lancaster, Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. In 2007, Henig was runner-up to be the Labour candidate to replace Tony Blair as MP for Sedgefield. He is the chair of the Association of Labour Councillors.

Academia Henig is a lecturer in politics at the University of Sunderland, specialising in psephology, the branch of political science which deals with the study and scientific analysis of elections.

Personal life Henig's wife Katherine was also a Labour councillor, but lost her seat in 2017. She was first elected in 2013, when she took the ward of Chester-le-Street South from the Liberal Democrats. The couple have two children and live in Chester-le-Street. Henig's interests include travel, football and cricket.