For the first time, an African has been elected Deputy Mayor of North London’s borough of Harrow.
The new Deputy Mayor is Ghanaian-born Cllr Nana Asante who has been a councillor since 2002.
Cllr Nana Asante, Deputy Mayor of Harrow Council
Cllr Asante and her Deputy Mayoress Awula Serwah, a Ghanaian-born barrister, received their medallions of office at Council’s annual meeting last week at Harrow Civic Centre.
“I thank you for the honour you have given me of serving as Deputy Mayor,” Cllr Asante said in a short acceptance speech to fellow councillors and well-wishers. “As a Christian, my example is the Servant King, so I hope I will do Him proud by following His example in serving this borough. Our borough’s motto is ‘Salus populi suprema lex’, the welfare of the People is the highest law, and I hope that with your help, I will support our Mayor Cllr Nizam Ismail in his year of service to the people of Harrow. Thank you once again for giving me this honour and privilege of serving as Deputy Mayor.”
After the enormity of the job had sunk in, Cllr Asante added: “It is a real privilege to become the Deputy Mayor of Harrow. It is an opportunity for somebody from the African continent to represent the people, and serve the people for a year. So I’m looking forward to my year in office.”
Asante, who is a Labour councillor for Edgware, and the Caribbean-born Conservative councillor for Pinner Lurline Champagnie OBE, who has been a councillor since 1986 and elected Mayor in 2004, are the only elected representatives in Harrow Council of African heritage.
