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Mayoress Ayesha Islam, Mayor Nurul Islam, Deputy Mayor Faruque Ansari and Deputy Mayoress Elma Ansari |
An emotional evening as Dawn makes way for the new mayor
FORMER professional footballer Councillor Nurul Islam was appointed Camden’s new mayor last week in a moving Town Hall ceremony that saw last year’s mayor given a standing ovation.
Councillor Dawn Somper, the first Conservative to take on the post since the 1970s, was described as one of Camden’s most successful Mayor’s in decades. Cllr Islam – who has been in training for the last 12 months serving as Cllr Somper’s number two – was named Camden’s first citizen in the mayormaking ceremony last Wednesday.
He named Councillor Faruque Ansari as his deputy Mayor.
Mayor Islam, a Labour councillor, is the first politician to don the mayoral chain while in opposition after Labour voted against sharing the role while they were in power. The Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition agreed to rotate the position of Mayor between the parties when they took control in 2006.
During Cllr Somper’s time as mayor, she also fitted in two other roles – Older Person’s Champion and planning chair.
Her escort, Judith Cohen, said: “I’ve been to 17 mayormaking ceremonies now, and I’ve never seen a standing ovation.”
Cllr Somper expects to have raised £30,000 for her nominated charity, Sense, and carried out more than 500 official visits during her reign.
Drawing hoots of laughter in the packed council chamber, she told – or warned – Cllr Islam: “I wish you good health – you’re going to need it.”
One event that stood out in her mind, unsurprisingly, during her time as Mayor was the evening she helped the Queen reopen St Pancras Station. She described it as “magnificent”.
Lib Dem councillor Keith Moffitt revealed that although he, as leader of the council, had the greater democratic power of the two, he “rapidly learned not to get in the way” when it came to joint presentations with Cllr Somper.
“It makes it even harder when the mayor is a charming blonde,” he added, before telling her “you carried off your work with great aplomb and flair.” |
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