Stephen Brady

Stephen Brady OBE (born in Hull in 1945) has been the Leader of Hull City Council unitary authority since 2011 for the Labour Party. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2018 following the success of Hull UK City of Culture 2017.

Stephen Brady, known as Steve Brady, was born in Hull in 1945. His father was a dock worker who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He is of Irish descent. In his teens he was a member of the Young Christian Workers. Steve Brady spent much of his working life at BP Saltend near Hull and later ran a newsagents shop in East Hull. A long-time trade unionist and Labour Party member, he was elected Councillor of Southcoates Ward (formerly Southcoates West Ward) in 2000 and became Leader of the Labour Group in 2007.

Since becoming Council Leader in 2011, Steve Brady has been praised for his leadership, as the city has witnessed notable improvements in the areas of investment, industry, green energy, employment prospects, and cultural events. Hull was selected as UK City of Culture for 2017, a decision widely received with skepticism and cynicism to begin with. The event met with considerable success and acclaim and resulted in verifiable, lasting benefits for the city such as jobs, investment, increased visitor numbers, unprecedented media coverage, and widespread community participation. As of May 2019 he has been reaffirmed in his post as Leader and will now retain tenure until 2022. Steve Brady was awarded the OBE in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to local government.

Steve Brady has been married for nearly fifty years and has six children. He lives at the family home in East Hull. His uncle Charles (Charlie) Brady (1916-1992) and aunt Frances (Grogan) (1916-2013) also served as councillors in Hull during the 1960s and 1970s.