Harrow’s new Mayor, Cllr Anjana Patel, has officially been sworn in following a special Mayor-making ceremony held at Harrow Arts Centre on Thursday evening (May 15).
She becomes Harrow’s 73rd Mayor and the last to hold the role before the next local election.
A Mayor-making ceremony is a formal tradition in local office where councillors come together to officially appoint the new Mayor and recognise their responsibilities for the year ahead. It’s a celebratory occasion with speeches, tributes, and community spirit celebrating the achievements.
During this years ceremony, tributes were also paid to outgoing Mayor, Cllr Salim Chowdhury, who made history as Harrow’s first ever British-Bangladeshi Mayor.
Speaking exclusively to Harrow Online, new mayor, Cllr Patel said: “Obviously I feel great, especially being the first citizen of the borough and being the Mayor of the borough are such privileges. Now it’s a privilege and honour to have this position. And so I’m really grateful to everyone, and all I would say is that I really hope that I will be able to serve the borough in a way that everybody wants me to. I would just say that we’re going to raise money for my charities (VIA and The Samaritans).
“It’s what the charity is all about, and it’s obviously to do with vulnerable people and children. And I think that is something that we really need to do for our community, as far as I’m concerned. I believe, since I have become a councillor, enjoyment of others lies in our own and I think on that note I’m serving the borough the way I can, but as a Mayor, I would want to go, as I say, to all the communities, faith organisations, community centres, schools, colleges and meet as many residents as I can.”
Cllr Patel moved to Harrow in 2000 and was first elected to the council in 2002 representing West Harrow for eight years. For the past seven years, she has represented Belmont ward. Over her time on the council, she has held cabinet roles covering Community and Culture, Schools and Children’s Development, and most recently, Environment and Community Safety.
Her chosen charities for the year are VIA – which supports people affected by drug and alcohol dependency – and Samaritans, who provide emotional support during difficult times. A video was played at the ceremony showing the work of both charities, including details about VIA’s safe space at 97 Pinner Road, where over 160 people have successfully quit smoking.
During the ceremony, a number of councillors gave speeches in support of the new Mayor, with Cllr Marilyn Ashton, Deputy Leader of Harrow Council, recalling how she met Anjana back in 2002 and describing her as “caring and kind” and “always there, even during the hardest of family times”.
Leader of Harrow Council, Cllr Paul Osborn joked about her previous responsibilities, saying: “She was in charge of bins, roads, street cleaning… it was a job that was so big that we had to get three people to replace them.”
Cllr David Perry, Harrow Labour Leader, praised her “passion and work ethic”, while Cllr Pritesh Patel added: “Anjana is a very experienced councillor and serves her residents. She has played a significant role within the community and I am grateful for the work she has done in the borough. She brings heart, energy and a sense of purpose to the work she does. She’ll make an excellent Mayor and I’m proud to support her.”
Cllr Yogesh Teli was announced as the new Deputy Mayor for the coming year. Anjana also appointed a scholar of Hindu theology as her official chaplain.
It was confirmed that Anjana has planned a tour of 14 places of worship across Harrow in her year as Mayor to promote unity and interfaith understanding. She said she felt “grateful, honoured and privileged” to serve in the role and thanked everyone who came to support her, both in person and from abroad.
Before the official proceedings, councillors and guests were served snacks, and the evening was filled with stories of Anjana’s dedication, warmth, and long-standing relationships with fellow councillors and the local community.
Later in the evening, the focus shifted to paying tribute to outgoing Mayor Cllr Salim Chowdhury, who attended over 700 events during his term. Tributes poured in from across the chamber, with Cllr Paul Osborn praising the “great work” he had done for Harrow, and Cllr Matthew Goodwin-Freeman saying: “Salim is an incredible guy – you drop everything to help everyone… an example is when you quickly assembled volunteers to host the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.”
Cllr David Ashton highlighted the borough’s diversity, saying: “We’ve had a Jewish, Hindu and a Muslim councillor.” Salim was also praised for his support of London Community Kitchen and his restaurant Curry Mahal in South Harrow was mentioned by several councillors.
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