Blind councillor will be next Kingston Mayor

Councillor Mary Heathcote will be next Kingston Mayor.

A Councillor whose tireless work with the disabled helped earn her an OBE has spoken of the privilege of becoming the new mayor of Kingston. Mary Heathcote, Councillor for the St Marks ward in Surbiton, was nominated by fellow Liberal Democrats and will take over for the year 2012-13.

Councillor Heathcote, who was first elected in 2010, will officially take over from Councillor Patrick Codd at a ceremony on May 9. The former civil servant, who is registered blind and sits on the board of Kingston Centre for Independent Living, said she will continue to champion the rights of the disabled.

Councillor Heathcote said she is looking forward to representing the Royal borough at the Olympics with the help of her new deputy fellow Lib Dem Barry O’Mahony. Councillor Heathcote will not have much time to settle into her new role as she is expected to perform a citizenship ceremony at the Guildhall on the weekend following her induction.

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