Kingston's new Mayor to focus on resilience

Having lived in Kingston since emigrating from Australia in March 2016, Councillor Hadjimichael has been a councillor for Canbury Gardens Ward since May 2022. He has served as both a portfolio holder and chaired the Health Overview Panel during his time as a councillor. 

Councillor Sue Ansari, Hook and Chessington North Ward, has been appointed as Deputy Mayor. 

The new Mayor has chosen to support two charities for the duration of his mayoral term, focusing on the theme of ‘resilience’. 

The first is Learn English at Home (LEAH) - a charity headquartered in Kingston which supports ethnically diverse sanctuary seekers, whose first language is not English, to communicate independently in areas of health, wellbeing, education and work through personalised language support.

Sharon Landa, Chair of LEAH’s Board of Trustees, said:

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has been a loyal supporter of LEAH's work in supporting displaced people and sanctuary seekers, and it is a testament to the work of our volunteers and staff that the borough’s new Mayor, Cllr Noel Hadjimichael, has chosen to support LEAH during his mayoral term. 

 

The honour bestowed upon LEAH has done much to highlight the issues faced by some very vulnerable people in our communities and its impact cannot be underestimated. We look forward to working with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor over the coming year.

The second is the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps), an all-female voluntary organisation, which deploys multi-faceted rapid response teams to support civil and military authorities in times of crisis.

Commandant Lisa Giles, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Commanding Officer, said:

“We are deeply honoured that the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston has decided to support the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry during his mayoral term. 

 

Our spirit of service and resilience has been at the very heart of our Corps since we were founded in 1907 and we look forward to sharing our experiences, ethos, and values, which we know are so compatible with the vibrant community of Kingston.”    

If you would like to find out more about the Mayor’s chosen charities for the 2025/26 Mayoral year, or invite the Mayor to a celebration or volunteering event, please get in contact via the Mayoral web pages.

Annual Council also noted the appointment of the administration's new portfolio holders:

• Leader and Portfolio Holder for Heritage and Culture - Andreas Kirsch

• Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Economic Development - Alison Holt

• Portfolio Holder for Finance, Assets and Governance - Richard Thorpe

• Portfolio Holder for Housing - Emily Davey

• Portfolio Holder for Communities, Commissioning and Customer Contact -  Anita Schaper

• Portfolio Holder for Climate Action, Biodiversity and Planning Policy - Ian Manders

• Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Transport and Waste and Recycling -  Nicola Nardelli

• Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Equalities - Sabah Hamed

• Portfolio Holder for Children’s services including Education - Diane White 

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