BRENT'S new mayor is a councillor and proper local lad who been in office for just one year.
Labour ward member for Dudden Hill, Aslam Choudry, who was elected only last May, took over the role of first citizen of the borough from Councillor Harbhajan Singh at Brent Council's annual council meeting held on Wednesday evening at Brent Town Hall in Forty Avenue, Wembley.
The accountant, who is vice-chairman of the authority's budget and finance scrutiny committee, was born in Pakistan but moved to Britain aged nine and attended Salusbury Primary School in Salusbury Road, Kilburn, Hampstead School in Camden and Kilburn Polytechnic, which became The College of North West London.
In his earlier days, Mr Choudry, of Park Avenue North, Willesden, turned out for South Hampstead Cricket Club and Brondesbury Cricket Club.
The new mayor has four children and eight grandchildren and is a governor at Gladstone Park Primary, having served the same roles at Hampstead School and at Crest Academy when it was John Kelly Girls Technology College.
Proposing that her colleague assume the post, council leader Councillor Ann John, described him as a "proper Brent lad".
She said: "I wish you ever success in you coming year. I have every faith you will be an outstanding representative and ambassador for the borough."
Mr Choudry replied: "I hope I can live up to those sentiments. I'm deeply honoured to be your mayor after a relative short stint as a councillor. I'm very passionate about Brent."
He then announced he has chosen as two mayoral charities for 2011/12 local mental health charity Brent Mind, based in Dyne Road, Kilburn, and the Central Mosque of Brent, in Station Parade, Willesden, otherwise known as Willesden Mosque.
Outgoing mayor Mr Singh, told the meeting he had attended more than 300 events in the past 12 months, raising more than £30,000 for his three mayoral charities, Asian People's Disability Alliance, St Luke's Hospice and Shooting Stars.
He said: "I am overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who has donated. It's been a wonderful year."
