Council Elects Chiswick Riverside's Paul Lynch As New Mayor
Cllr Adrian Lee and Cllr Phil Andrews step down as Hounslow announces new executive committee
A warm welcome was given to Cllr Paul Lynch, ward councillor for Chiswick Riverside, as he was elected Hounslow’s mayor at the borough council meeting on Tuesday, May 19th.
Cllr Lynch will now take over as first citizen of Hounslow from Cllr Dr Genevieve Hibbs.
Speaking at the meeting, the new mayor said, "Thank you all for appointing me mayor, I shall do my best to live up to your expectations. My wife and I, together with my Deputy Mayor, Cllr Barbara Harris and her Consort, niece Michaela Murphy, are looking forward to the next twelve months."
Cllr Lynch also announced his charities for his mayoral year, they include: Nazereth House at Isleworth, which is a unique and caring place for the old; Momentum, a charity that supports families of children with cancer, and Hounslow Extra Club (HEC), a voluntary committee run by parents who provide a holiday play scheme for disabled young people aged between 11-21.
The new mayor first became active in local politics after joining the Brentford and Isleworth conservatives in 1983. In 1990 he was elected to the Riverside ward for the first time and became leader of the Conservative group from 1995 - 1999. He was also narrowly beaten by Steve Norris as Conservative candidate for Mayor of London in a closely fought contest.
Cllr Lynch became executive member for education and children’s services in 2007, following the tragic death of his good friend and fellow ward councillor, Robert Kinghorn.
Born in 1947 in Islington, Cllr Lynch did his degree at the University of Surrey, followed by post grad studies at the University of Wales Institute (UWIST) in Cardiff. His early career was in the mining industry in Zambia and elsewhere in Africa, where he travelled widely between contracts. After returning to London, he married Prudence and started a career at the BBC, which spanned IT, communications, publicity, and broadcast engineering. Cllr Lynch retired from the BBC in 2006. He is a keen race-goer and annually attends Royal Ascot.
He and his wife have two sons, James, 28, a diplomat in the British Embassy in Qatar and Harry, 25, a doctor.
Hounslow’s new executive portfolios were also announced at the same meeting. The Executive, which sets the policy for the Council, includes eight Conservative councillors and two Community group members.
Members of Hounslow’s new Executive and their portfolios are:
• Cllr Peter Thompson - Leader of the Council (Conservative)
• Cllr Mark Bowen - Deputy Leader of the Council (Conservative)
• Cllr Linda Davies - Children’s Services and Family (Conservative)
• Cllr Pam Fisher - Adult Social Services and Health (Conservative)
• Cllr Paul Fisher - Lead member for Communities - Engagement and Safety (Community Group)
• Cllr Jonathan Hardy - Housing and Service Improvement (Community Group)
• Cllr Gerald McGregor - Finance (Conservative)
• Cllr Robert Oulds - Children’s Services and Education (Conservative)
• Cllr Barbara Reid - Environment and Planning (Conservative)
• Cllr Rebecca Stewart - Leisure (Conservative)
Council leader, Cllr Peter Thompson, said, “I would particularly like to make public my thanks to those councillors who have stepped down from the Executive of the Council this year. Cllr Adrian Lee who did a tremendous job in bringing on board our new leisure contractors and who are already making visible improvements to our parks, libraries and leisure centres. His commitment to ensuring that we have services to be proud of has been second to none.
“Cllr Phil Andrews who massively improved our working relationships with Hounslow Homes and put the issue of tenant participation to the centre of our activities. And finally Cllr Paul Lynch who led Children’s Services through a challenging period in the aftermath of the Baby P case. I know that his commitment to education has been very much appreciated by our schools.”
"The new executive promises you a borough that meets the needs of all Hounslow residents both now and for the future, led by a four star council that is efficient, capable and careful with your money - a council that will Build Pride Borough Wide.”
The first public meeting of the new Executive will be on Tuesday 9 June at the Civic Centre, Lampton Road, Hounslow. For agenda details and complete meeting dates, visit www.hounslow.gov.uk.
May 20, 2009
