Hull City Council has elected its new Lord Mayor and Admiral of the Humber for the coming year.
Councillors elected Cllr Cheryl Payne, a Liberal Democrat who represents the Derringham ward, to serve as Lord Mayor at the council’s Annual Council Meeting held on Thursday May 15.
Cllr Payne has taken over from Cllr Mark Collinson who had held the position since May 2024.
In the meeting, Cllr Payne, who had been the deputy Lord Mayor for the past year, spoke of her delight in taking up the new role. She said: “The last year has gone so quickly but it was an absolute honour and a privilege to do that role and I’ll take that further forward with this one.”
Before raising a photograph of her father wearing a Hull City shirt on his 100th birthday, Cllr Payne added: “It’s quite a poignant day for me today because it would have been my dad’s birthday and he would have been 110. I’m hoping him and my mum are with me.”
The new Lord Mayor then set some ground rules for her time as in the role, saying: “This is a very formal procedure at the full council and we have to behave at times so I shall be watching you all and I shall make sure you’re doing as you’re told.”
The leader of the council, Cllr Mike Ross, congratulated Cllr Payne on her new role saying: “I know how much it means to you an I’m sure you’ll enjoy your year ahead.”
Cllr Ross went on to joke about the recent Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral election in which, as the Liberal Democrats’ candidate, he came in second place behind the newly-elected Luke Campbell. Cllr Ross said: “On a personal level it means a lot to me to see a Liberal Democrat winning a Mayoral race in Hull this year.”
The Labour group in the council put forward Cllr Rosie Nicola of the Orchard Park ward to be the new Lord Mayor. Cllr Gill Kennet said: “Cllr Nicola and I started our roles together as councillors and over the years I’ve found her to be conscientious, hard working, and passionate with regards to the people of our city. She has huge commitment to the residents of her ward, the responsibilities she holds in the Guildhall and her civic duties. She would be a fair and thoughtful Lord Mayor.”
Ultimately councillors voted down the movement to make Cllr Nicola Lord Mayor and elected Cllr Payne.
Councillors also elected Liberal Democrat Cllr Maria Coward of the Boothferry ward as the new deputy Lord Mayor. Cllr Jack Haines, said: “Maria is probably one of the best councillors I’ll ever meet across the country, not just here. She cares so deeply about people, not just in her ward but right across the city and that’s why she’ll be so good at this job.”
The Labour group unsuccessfully backed Cllr Abhi Singh of the Avenue ward for the role as deputy Lord Mayor. The leader of the Hull Labour Group, Cllr Daren Hale said that Cllr Singh, “in many ways should be an inspiration to us all because he isn’t just the first councillor of Indian origin elected in this city. He is one of the very very few politicians not born in this country to be elected to office in the UK.”
Cllr Hale argued that “at a time when some people in our midst are seeking to draw back from issue of tolerance and seek to divide us” that the election of Cllr Singh as deputy Lord Mayor would signal that “we as a city stand collectively, regardless of politics, faith, or creed or nationality for taking this city forward”.
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
