I’m pleased to be writing this column still as Leader of the City Council. I held my seat in Longlevens in the local elections and the balance of the parties stayed the same, meaning I was re-elected (for an eighth year) at the Council’s Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting is more of a ceremonial occasion than your average council meeting. We held it this year at Blackfriars Priory. This meeting is also where the Mayor and Sheriff get elected. The new Mayor is Councillor Deb Llewellyn, who represents Quedgeley Fieldcourt ward. She takes over from Councillor Chris Chatterton. Although he is from a different party to me, I think Chris was a superb Mayor. He attended a record 1005 events during his year of office – a figure that is unlikely to be topped for the foreseeable future.

The position of Mayor dates back to the City’s Charter of 1483. The role of Sheriff, which is now combined with the position of Deputy Mayor, is even older – with its roots back in the 1200s. The new Sheriff is Councillor Lise Noakes (Barnwood) who took over from Councillor Said Hansdot (Barton & Tredworth). Only 15 towns and cities in England and Wales still maintain the position of Sheriff.

The Mayor and Sheriff are ceremonial positions, and their job is to encourage those doing good work around the city and act as a non-partisan figurehead for Gloucester. Since 2002, the role has been rotated around each of the political parties, reinforcing its non-political role and giving a wider pool to draw from than just the ruling group.

I think these traditions are important to a historic city like Gloucester. If you would like the Mayor or Sheriff to attend an event in your community, please call 01452 396201 or email civics@gloucester.gov.uk.

Now the elections are out of the way, it’s back to business. With real momentum behind Gloucester’s regeneration and the Rugby World Cup coming here in little over a year, there’s no shortage of work to do. I’ll be keeping you posted through this column in the months ahead.