Councillor Milkinder Jaspal was officially elected as the 155th Mayor of Wolverhampton at a ceremony on Wednesday (15 May, 2013).

The 53-year-old, who is also a Labour councillor for the Heath Town ward, took the chain of office from outgoing Mayor Councillor Christine Mills at the annual Mayor Making ceremony at the Civic Centre.

Councillor Jaspal was born in India in 1960 and moved with his family to Wolverhampton in 1965. He graduated from Lancaster University with a BA (Hons) in Politics and also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Equal Opportunities from the University of Central England.

During his career he has worked in various roles, including management services, education welfare and as an NHS Trust Board secretary. Since 2002, he has worked with various organisations as a governance consultant. He has been a councillor for the Heath Town ward on two occasions, firstly between May 1991 and May 2008 and then from February 2009 onwards. He was Deputy Mayor of Wolverhampton last year.

Mayoress Jasbir Jaspal, who also moved to Wolverhampton from India as a young child, is a management accountant and is also a governor at Wolverhampton Girls High School. The pair have two sons, both of whom are doctors.

Mayor Councillor Jaspal said: "I am proud to have been given the honour of representing this great city of ours as its Mayor. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the fantastic things that are going on in Wolverhampton and meeting people from all walks of life who are helping to make our city a better place in which to live.

"I'm also pleased that I will be able to support local charities during my year in office which are the MS Society, Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Collegiate Church of St Peter's. Hopefully we'll be able to raise vital funds for these three very good causes at the same time."

Wednesday night's ceremony also saw Councillor Mike Heap, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wolverhampton, and Frances Heap named Deputy Mayor and Mayoress respectively.

Meanwhile, the following councillors were appointed to Cabinet positions:

  • Councillor Peter Bilson, Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Prosperity
  • Councillor Elias Mattu, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Communities
  • Councillor Steve Evans, Cabinet Member for Adult Services
  • Councillor Phil Page, Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Learning
  • Councillor Val Gibson, Cabinet Member for Children and Families
  • Councillor John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for City Services
  • Councillor Andrew Johnson, Cabinet Member for Resources
  • Councillor Sandra Samuels, Cabinet Member for Health and Well Being
  • Councillor Paul Sweet, Cabinet Member for Governance and Performance
  • Councillor Roger Lawrence, Chair of Cabinet

    released: Friday 17 May, 2013