Camden Council has appointed its first Black woman mayor, Cllr Sabrina Francis.
The Bloomsbury councillor was sworn in on Tuesday at a meeting of the full council.
Cllr Francis succeeds outgoing mayor Cllr Maryam Eslamdoust (Kilburn). Cllr Lorna Russell has been appointed deputy mayor (Fortune Green).
The new mayor’s chosen charity is Gingerbread, which supports single parent families.
Cllr Francis said: “Coming from a single parent family, I have witnessed the strength and resilience it takes to raise children and deal with challenges alone.
“Throughout my mayoral year I will highlight the vital work that Gingerbread do to challenge the stigma faced by single parent families alongside the charity’s campaigns for better policy and support.
“I hope to inspire Camden’s children from single parent families and raise money to help Gingerbread continue their essential work offering advice, support and advocacy to the 1 in 5 families that are led by a single parent.”
Cllr Francis has lived in Camden with her mum and her sister for her whole life, and she attended Brecknock primary school and Camden School for Girls.
The new mayor is currently serving her second term on the council, having been first elected in 2014. She is a former chair of the housing scrutiny committee and of a licensing panel.
Cllr Francis studied at Birmingham University and started her career as an education worker for a charity which supports disadvantaged children into higher education.
In 2017 she received a British Empire Medal for services to the University of London.
Cllr Francis continued: “I will also be using the year to focus on the hard work Camden’s hospitality industry and independent small businesses will be doing to recover from the impacts of Covid-19.
“Camden is known for its contribution to London’s culture and I will be helping to draw attention to the incredible venue landlords, business owners, and restauranteurs we have in the borough.”
In addition to the mayor, cabinet appointments were also confirmed at Tuesday’s council meeting.
- Cllr Georgia Gould - Leader of the Council
- Cllr Meric Apak - Cabinet Member for Better Homes
- Cllr Danny Beales - Cabinet Member for Investing in Communities, Culture and an Inclusive Economy
- Cllr Patricia Callaghan - Cabinet Member for a Healthy and Caring Camden and Deputy Leader
- Cllr Abdul Hai - Cabinet Member for Young People, Equalities and Cohesion
- Cllr Adam Harrison - Cabinet Member for a Sustainable Camden
- Cllr Angela Mason - Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families
- Cllr Richard Olszewski - Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation
- Cllr Nadia Shah - Cabinet Member for Safer Communities
- Cllr Anna Wright - Cabinet Member for Promoting Neighbourhoods and Communities
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