Senior nurse and niece of former Mauritius PM elected as Rugby's new mayor

The niece of a former Prime Minister of Mauritius has been elected as mayor Rugby

Cllr Deepah Roberts (Con, Dunsmore) was presented with the chain of office at today’s, May 20, annual meeting of Rugby Borough Council, taking over from Cllr Bill Lewis (Lib Dem, Rokeby and Overslade) whose term of office was extended to a second year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A senior nursing manager at the Imperial College NHS Trust in London, Cllr Roberts has been a borough councillor since 2014.

Cllr Peter Eccleson (Con, Dunsmore) formally proposed her for the role as Rugby’s first citizen.

He said: “She has a very demanding job which not only includes managing a department but she also trains and lectures- a good demonstration of her ability and strength of character and her desire to help people.

“She became an independent councillor in Rugby borough in 2014.

“As mayor of Rugby, Deepah will represent us in this borough and further afield as we come out of lockdown.

"That smile, her outgoing personality and sense of community and incredible strength will serve us well. She will rise to the challenge and represent this borough with pride.”

Following her election, Cllr Roberts thanked the residents of Dunsmore who backed her when she first stood for election to the council.

She said: “I asked the great people of Dunsmore to elect me because of my ideas and what I can do.

"They backed me over more established candidates and I’m ever so grateful to them.

"This acceptance and open-mindedness characterises the country I now call home and the ward I now am proud to represent.

“I follow quite a few other councillors who became mayor who were not originally from this country so Rugby is great.

"The diversity and acceptance on display confirms the truth of Kipling’s quote ‘the strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack’.

“I am proud that after the horrors of Covid-19, a nurse by profession is able to become the first citizen of our borough.”

She added that the theme for her year in office would be to respect and protect the environment and that her two charities would be the guide dogs training centre in Leamington and Rugby for Heroes which helps ex-servicemen and woman transition back into civilian life.