Former Charters Girl to Be RBWM Mayor

After two years as Deputy, Cllr Catherine Bursnall is set to become the Royal Borough’s Mayor.

Looking forward to her year in office, Cllr Bursnall who at age 29 is likely to be the youngest Mayor in the country, said: “I am absolutely thrilled and deeply honoured at the prospect of being Mayor. Over the past two years as Deputy I have been privileged to meet so many fantastic people of all ages who believe in the borough and, on a daily basis, step forward to give their time and energy to help our community. I want to get to know them and their work even better in the year ahead.”Cllr Bursnall was named Mayor-Elect for 2010/11 at lthe April 20 council meeting, succeeding Cllr Jesse Grey who comes to the end of his official year in May. Cllr Asghar Majeed has been nominated as Deputy.

Cllr Bursnall, who grew up in Ascot & Sunninghill and went to Charters,  was elected to represent Windsor’s town centre ward, Castle Without, in May 2007 and she will take over her new role from Tuesday 25 May when councillors will be asked to formally elect her to the office at the council’s annual meeting.

The annual meeting with be held in the Guildhall – at Cllr Bursnall’s request – instead of in the Desborough Suite at the Town Hall in Maidenhead.

The Mayor-Elect explained: “Mayor-making is very much a part of our community tradition and we have such an amazing heritage building in the Guildhall that I felt it would be appropriate to have the annual meeting there.”

She added:  This is a borough of two major towns so I felt that Windsor should take its turn to host the event.”

Cllr Bursnall paid tribute to outgoing Mayor Cllr Grey for his dedication and hard work and said he would be ‘a hard act to follow’. However, she said she would throw herself wholeheartedly into her new role and added: “We have a borough to be proud of and I am really looking forward to flying the Royal Borough flag wherever I go.”

Since her election to the council Cllr Bursnall has served on the Windsor development control panel.

Cllr Bursnall will be supported throughout her year of office by her husband and fellow councillor Cllr Tom Bursnall (Clewer East), who will be her official Consort.

Also elected to the council in May 2007 – to represent the Oldfield Ward in Maidenhead – Cllr Majeed has been a member of the adult services and health overview and scrutiny panel, chairman of the highway licensing panel and chairman of the One Borough community cohesion panel.

A widower with three children who works in the IT industry, Cllr Majeed said he was ‘honoured and delighted’ and was looking forward to a year as Deputy Mayor.  

He said: “The past three years as a borough councillor have demonstrated to me the hugely different facets of our borough and the contribution made by so many to the overall wellbeing of our community. I am thoroughly looking forward to meeting and getting to know so people across the borough. I have no doubt that being Deputy Mayor will give me more opportunities to serve the residents of the Royal Borough.”

The council’s annual meeting on Tuesday 25 May in the Guildhall will start at 7.30pm.