New mayor of Telford & Wrekin elected

Councillor Reynolds was elected at tonight's annual council meeting and mayor making ceremony, which also elected Councillor Raj Mehta as deputy mayor.

The new Mayor will be supported during his term in office by his wife, the mayoress Councillor Shirley Reynolds.

He is one of three elected members representing the Oakengates and Ketley Bank ward on Telford & Wrekin Council.

He has also been a member of both Oakengates Town Council and Wrockwardine Wood and Trench Parish Council, and became a borough councillor at the 2015 election.

Councillor Reynolds spent his working life as a customer relations officer for Severn Trent Water and has done voluntary work in retirement for Severn Hospice and the National Trust.

Following his election as mayor tonight, he said: "I am looking forward to the coming year and I will endeavour to fulfil my mayoral duties with honesty and humility.

"Over the last 35 years living in Telford, I've seen the town thrive from strength to strength and it will be an honour to serve as mayor during Telford & Wrekin Council's 50th anniversary."

At the meeting, Councillor Reynolds announced his mayoral charity for the year would be the Severn Hospice, after volunteering for them after surviving terminal cancer 10 years ago. At the time of diagnosis, he was told he had just three weeks to live.

Councillor Reynolds takes over from his predecessor, outgoing mayor Rae Evans.

He also paid tribute to Councillor Evans at the meeting.

He said: "I would like to thank Councillor Rae Evans who has been a fantastic ambassador of the borough. She will be a hard act to follow."

The new deputy mayor Councillor Raj Mehta became a borough councillor in the Horsehay and Lightmoor Ward after a by-election last year and is also a member of Ketley Parish Council.

Councillor Mehta has worked with the NHS for nearly two decades and runs a surgery. He is married with two children.