Preston to welcome new Mayor at special ceremony at Town Hall tonight

Coun David Borrow is to be the new Mayor of Preston

Incoming Mayor for this next year will be councillor David Borrow, who has also served as MP for South Ribble.

He takes over the role from former councillor Trevor Hart, who lost his seat representing Lea at the council in the local elections.

The tradition of having a Mayor of Preston dates back to the middle ages when the city’s first Charter, a document bestowing certain rights on a town, was granted by Henry II in 1179.

Trevor Hart in his role as Mayor of Preston with members of The Preston Sikh Siva Society

The Mayor of Preston acts as the city’s first citizen, which means they speak on behalf of the city and are an important part of its identity. They also represent local people at civic and ceremonial events.

David Borrow was born in Huddersfield and attended Mirfield Grammar School where he was head boy. He graduated with an Honours Degree in Economics from Lanchester Polytechnic, now Coventry University, in 1973.

He moved to Preston in 1975 where he joined the Lancashire Valuation Tribunal and later worked for the Manchester Tribunal before taking charge of the Merseyside Tribunal in 1983.

Active in politics since the age of sixteen, David was first elected to Preston Borough Council in 1987 for Moorbrook ward. He served as the committee chairman for Equal Opportunities, Highways and Finance and had two spells as council leader before becoming the MP for South Ribble in 1997.

After leaving Parliament in 2010, he was re-elected to Preston City Council in 2011. From 2013 to 2017 he also served on Lancashire County Council as deputy leader of the council.

David is supported as Mayoress by his sister Stacey Thoburn. David is married to his long term partner, John. He has four Mayoral charities which include cancer charity Rosemere, homeless charity Emmaus, veterans charity Dig in and a charity in Malawi which support orphans, Friends of Mulange Orphans.