New Harborough District Council Chairman Elected
Written by HFM News on 25th May 2023
The new Chairman of Harborough District Council says she hopes to meet as many local people as possible during time in office.
Cllr Barbara Johnson will represent the authority at civic functions and community events over the next year and has selected the Derbyshire Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance as her charity for the year.
Cllr Johnson received the chain of office from outgoing chairman Cllr Neil Bannister at the recent Annual Council meeting and spoke to HFM about her new role and her chosen charity:
Cllr Johnson received the chain of office from outgoing chairman Cllr Neil Bannister Pic: Andy Carpenter
Cllr Johnson was elected as a Liberal Democrat district councillor in Market Harborough Great Bowden and Arden ward in 2007 and after a short break from politics in 2015, was re-elected in Logan ward in Market Harborough, where she retained her seat at this month’s elections.
Born and educated in Leicestershire, with a working life mostly spent in education, latterly press and publications officer at the University of Leicester, Cllr Johnson is committed to working in the community and has campaigned for public services, especially for bus services and better amenities for residents.
She is also president of the Harborough branch of the Royal British Legion, chair of the Market Harborough Medical Centre’s Patient Participation Group, a trustee of the Howard Watson Symington Memorial Charity and has served as a governor at a local primary school and as a trustee of VASL
The vice chairman will be Cllr Peter Elliott, ward councillor for the Thurnby and Houghton ward.
During his time in office, outgoing chairman Cllr Bannister helped raise £3,030 for his chosen charity the Leicestershire and Rutland branch of Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Cllr Bannister said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to have been the chairman. I attended around 80 civic events during the year. I am pleased to have attended functions across the whole of the Harborough district. I thank the outgoing vice chairman Cllr Rani Mahal for her support.”
