A new mayor of Islington says she wants the message of her year in office to be that "everyone is welcome" in the borough.

Tollington ward councillor Anjna Khurana will take on the role over the next 12 months.

She served as Deputy Mayor to Cllr Gary Heather last year, and was named as the borough's figurehead yesterday (May 16).

Cllr Khurana, who has lived in Islington since 1994, first in Clerkenwell and now in Hillrise, said she wanted her mayoralty to emphasise that “everyone is welcome in Islington”.

She was diagnosed with relapsing, remitting multiple sclerosis at the Whittington Hospital in 2006.

The mayor chairs all full council meetings and represents the authority at civic and ceremonial events such as openings, fairs and fetes and citizenship ceremonies, attending around 500 a year both in and outside the borough.

Cllr Khurana said: “I am looking forward to engaging with the communities that do so much, both in the spotlight and behind the scenes, that work with and for each other.”  

First elected as a councillor in 2018, Cllr Khurana has taken on various committee roles during her tenure.

She has chosen Brickworks Community Centre as the charity she will support in her year as mayor.

The community centre in Finsbury Park is a meeting place for those facing hardships including discrimination, loneliness, and poverty.

Cllr Jason Jackson was also appointed as Deputy Mayor at yesterday's meeting.