Rastrick ward councillor Chris Pillai will be next year’s Mayor of Calderdale.

Conservative Coun Pillai, who was re-elected to his Rastrick seat in May for a new four-year term, has recent experience in what the role of Calderdale’s civic leader entails, having being Deputy Mayor of Calderdale in Marcus Thompson’s year as Mayor, 2018-19.

Full council was told it is the Conservative group’s turn to put forward a candidate for Mayor and Group Leader Coun Scott Benton (Cons, Brighouse) said he was delighted to inform members that Coun Pillai would serve as elected Mayor for the next borough year.

Strategy to fight poverty in Calderdale to continue

Coun Pillai will take over from current Mayor Coun Dot Foster (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) next May.

She congratulated Coun Pillai and was sure he would enjoy the role.

When he was Deputy Mayor of Calderale, with his wife Beverley as his consort, Coun and Mrs Pillai attended more than 70 civic occasions in their own right.

The couple received praise for the success with which they had handled their year in support of Mr Thompson, who stood down from the council in May, and his Mayoress Nicky Chance-Thompson.