A COUNCILLOR has described being chosen as the next Lord Mayor of Bradford as a “dream come true”.

Councillor Joanne Dodds, a community worker who has represented Great Horton on Bradford Council since 2006, has been selected by the Labour Group.

Cllr Dodds previously served as Deputy Lord Mayor in 2013/14.

She said: “I can hardly begin to describe what an absolute honour and a privilege it will be to serve my home city as Lord Mayor. It is a dream come true.”

Cllr Dodds said there could be no better time to be Lord Mayor of Bradford, as there was a “buzz” around the place which she wanted to capture.

She added: “It’s a rough diamond, it’s got its issues and its challenges but its character, identity and resilience run deep.

“There’s so much here to be proud of that we don’t always appreciate and I’m going to do my level best to act as an ambassador for Bradford and put the positive firmly in the spotlight.”

The next Deputy Lord Mayor will be Councillor Abid Hussain (Lab, Keighley Central).